Congrats to NASW "Restoring Hope" Essay Contest Winners

The winners of the National Association of Social Workers' "Restoring Hope" essay contest have been announced. There are two winners, one social work student and one social work professional.

The student essay by Megan Salisbury, a senior at Arizona State University, focuses on homelessness. She wrote:

For social workers, there are no instant answers. Restoring hope is an act of blind faith and perfectly timed phone calls, and yes, even instant answers from a collaborative partner. It is about finding the means when you are unsure of the way.

Read her essay on the NASW web site.

The social work professional winner is Lauren Anzaldo, MSW, LCSW, CAP. Lauren's essay is entitled, "Conveying Hope to Every Client." In it, she said:

A social worker embodies the words “You are a life worth saving” every time she meets with a client and sits with him in his discomfort. We convey hope when we treat our clients like people, when we let them know that how they feel and what they want out of life is important.

Read Lauren's essay on the NASW site.

You can also now access photos and videos from the NASW Restoring Hope conference on the conference web site.

Happy Birthday, Jane Addams

Today, September 6, is Jane Addams' birthday. Addams, born in 1860, was a pioneer in the social work field and was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is known as a pioneer in the settlement house movement and the founder of Hull House.

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine published an article about settlement houses in 1998. You can read it here:
Settlement Houses: Old Idea in New Form Builds Community

In 2012, Hull House closed after providing social services in the Chicago area for 122 years. We published the following article about the closing:
Lessons from Hull House

And, in the Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, we published this 2009 article on Addams" influence on a social worker:
Following in Jane Addams' Footsteps

I remember reading about Jane Addams when I was a little girl, and I was very inspired by her.  When did you first hear about Jane Addams, what stood out about her, and how did her work influence the work you do today?