NOVA MSW Student Anita Petty, has been accepted into the 2009 White House Summer Internship Program. Ms. Petty will be placed in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships/
Congratulations, Anita!
Second-year social work PhD student and Virginia LEND trainee Jessica C. Jagger has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship for 2009-2010. She will be conducting research on emergency management policy and disability in Jamaica through the Fulbright US Student Program.
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to develop leadership through learning and international cooperation. The program operates in more than 155 countries, and has permitted more than 286,500 participants to study, teach, or conduct research. Approximately 7,000 grants are awarded each year to participants selected for their academic merit and leadership potential. This year’s US Student Fulbright Program in the Western Hemisphere was one of the most highly competitive in the world. Read more….
Earlier this semester, the VCU School of Social Work launched a community service initiative – Community Reach Out — that engages its faculty, staff, students and alumni to work together in service to the community. The goal is to add a new School-wide dimension to its long-standing commitment to social and economic justice, and helping individuals and families in need
This Spring, the focus of Community Reach Out is to those who have most acutely been experiencing the effects of the economic crisis. We will be initiating a new project each month of the Spring semester that relates to this focus.
The first project, facilitated by faculty and administrators in the School, was a clothing drive for unemployed women and men who need business attire for job interviews, and newly employed adults who are in need of work-related clothing. The clothing was collected, organized and donated to Goodwill of Central Virginia’s job placement services, Freedom House, and TDC- Culture of Work Academy.
The second project, coordinated by the students, focused on helping a local respite care facility by collecting several items that are in high demand. The respite care facility is part of a well known local organization, the Daily Planet, that provides care for persons leaving the hospital that are still in need of care but have no home or support system. On Saturday, April 11, several from the School of Social Work spent a day at the facility doing yard work, food preparation, and socializing with the residents.
The final project for the Spring semester is led by the staff in the School of Social Work. During the month of April they are holding a food drive for the Central Virginia Food Bank, and on Tuesday, April 14 several members volunteered their time at the Food Bank’s community kitchen. Click here to see our efforts recognized in the VCU VIEW
SSW Volunteers at the Central Virginia Foodbank Community Kitchen.
Top Row: MeMe Thornton, Ananda Newmark, Gwen Taylor, Pam Duffus, Lisa Pond.
Bottom Row: Dan Park, Candice Tam.
Faculty members, PhD and MSW students perform yard clean-up at the Daily Planet
Sarah Kye Price was recently elected to a two-year term as president of the Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance (PLIDA). PLIDA (www.plida.org) is a nationwide (and expanding internationally) collective community of over 350 parents and health care professionals, who work together to ensure that all families experiencing perinatal loss and infant death receive comprehensive and compassionate care from diagnosis through the reproductive years. PLIDA focuses on increasing awareness about the emotional aspects of this bereavement and advocating for the provision of supportive care to individuals and families. PLIDA also provides support, education, and networking opportunities to the professionals who work with bereaved families.
PLIDA organizes the National Perinatal Bereavement Conference (www.perinatalbereavementconference.org) which is held around the country every other year. This training opportunity is one of the largest professional trainings focusing on this area of professional practice.
Sarah’s research on reproductive loss and women’s mental health during and around the time of pregnancy has been published in several journals, including Social Work, the Maternal and Child Health Journal, and Death Studies.
Two doctoral candidates have scheduled their dissertation defenses in preparation for the upcoming School of Social Work graduation ceremony at the Siegel Center on May 15th, and the VCU graduation at the Richmond Colliseum on Saturday, May 16, 2009. The final step in pursuit of their doctoral degrees, their defenses will be held at the School of Social Work located in the Raleigh Building, 1001 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284.
Michael Lee Howell
Friday, April 17, 2009, 2:00-4:00 PM, Room101
Mike’s dissertation is entitled Intake decision-making in Child Protective Services: Exploring the influence of decision-factors, race and substance abuse.
Stephen Raymond Kodwo
Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 1:00-3:00 PM, Room 101
Kodwo’s dissertation title is Determinates of long-term eldercare: Evidence from Ghanaian immigrants in the United States.
Faculty, fellow students and staff are invited to attend the dissertations.
The 2009 Community Partners Appreciation Luncheon will begin at Noon on Friday, May 1st, at the Richmond Salons in the VCU Student Commons, 907 Floyd Avenue. This year’s keynote address will be presented by Dr. Catherine W. Howard, Vice Provost of the Division of Community Engagement, who wiil speak on “Building University – Community Partnerships.”
To confirm your reservation, or for further information, please RSVP to Lila Garlick [lgarlick@vcu.edu] by April 24th.
This week, Ms. Kristin Dunne was offered a Post-MSW Social Work Fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. She will be working in the Outpatient Clinic for Children in New Haven beginning in July. Congratulations to Kristin and best wishes for continued succes!
Attention all BSW & MSW 2009 Graduates:
The rescheduled Job Fair will be held on April 13th from 9:30 am-12 pm in the Richmond Salons (Student Commons).
For questions, contact Shanza Isom at isomsa@vcu.edu.
