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Tampa Bay Unit 2019 Social Work
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TAMPA BAY UNIT
(Updated 7/16/19)
Friends and Colleagues,
Welcome to the beginning of the next chapter of social work in the Tampa Bay area – Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. I have the honor and pleasure of serving as the Tampa Bay Unit Vice chair and could not be more excited to journey with you over the next two years. Time and space will not allow me to list the many ways our National Association of Social Work (NASW) has advanced our profession since 1955 when social work pioneers, armed with faith, values, and hard work, set about to create conditions that met the needs and well-being of vulnerable populations. But, there is so much to be done, challenges yet to overcome, and solutions yet to discover. This means YOUR continuing membership and active participation in our Unit's activities is needed now more than ever.
William and Catherine Booth founded The Salvation Army, an international faith based social services organization, in 1865. William is quoted as saying,
“While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight - I’ll fight to the very end.”
Social workers have that fighting spirit too; I know I do. I find joy in the work I do as a social worker. I count it a privilege to be invited into and to support a person or family at their time of vulnerability. I am equally passionate about working in macro settings where we try to take an aerial view of social work, identifying and bridging the gaps in services, and making connections to other disciplines, with the goal of enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
In recent years, we have made progress in bridging the “artificial divide” in our work. As a social worker with experience in both macro and direct practice settings, I agree that uniting as one social work profession “in our language" is a priority. Let us not tear ourselves apart! If it’s true that “language brings us together like nothing else will” and that “all disciplines is about creating a vocabulary,” let us set about to build a coherent vocabulary that brings all social workers together, undivided in purpose, mission, and vision. When you encounter that space where direct practice and macro practice intersect, be bold, be brave. In identifying and stretching across the divides, aisles, and gaps YOU encounter in your practice setting, will find that special quality that unites each of us as social workers. Wherever our social work journeys take us, may our practice be rooted and established in our 6 core values of Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of the Individual, Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence.
In closing, we desire your active participation in designing activities that propel our profession forward, forward in ways that will make social work pioneers proud of us. I invite you, therefore, to check back frequently for updates, especially for future meetings dates, and to participate locally, statewide, and nationally. You are valuable. We need you. Thank you.
Follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/naswtampabay
As always, feel free to submit your ideas to make our Tampa Bay Unit better. If you have ideas or wish to volunteer, please contact Sharon Barber at tampabay.naswfl@socialworkers.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 24, 2019 • Tampa, FL
*NASW-FL Tampa Bay Unit presents a "The Gathering" from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at Cigar City Brewing Company. Please join social workers from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties for two hours of networking and event planning. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Bring a Social Work colleague/friend and receive a Special Gift! Registration is free.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE!
UNIT LEADERSHIP
Sharon Barber - Unit Chair
tampabay.naswfl@socialworkers.org
Chapter Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification (CCNLI)
Stacy Kratz
Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) Committee
Christine Campbell, LCSW
Membership
Mary Martinez-Drovie
Social Media
Elizabeth Thomas, MSW
Legislative
Brittany Peters
491 Board Liaison
Susan Infanzon
Chapter Supervisory Task Force
Nancy Gordon
Susan Infanzon
Ethics
Stacy Kratz
MSW Representative
Alexandra Pellot, USF
BSW Representatives
Haydee Davis, Saint Leo University