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School of Social Work  |  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
April 2014 Strengthening Vulnerable Families  
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March Match
The results are in!
March Match logo

 

 As part of the fifth annual March Match Challenge, members of the School of Social Work Alumni Association Board made a pledge to match all gifts made to the School up to $7,000 during the month of March.

 

Thanks to your support we beat the challenge match by 57%!

 

Challenge Match: $7,000

Total Gifts to the School during March: $10,989.47

Professor Emeritus Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Pallassana R. Balgopal, Professor Emeritus, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India. This is the first time the association has given this award. Professor Balgopal was honored because he has "made remarkable contributions to the social work profession, is a man of Indian origin and has addressed global issues and strengthened the social work profession at an International level." The award was presented by the former President of India, Mre. Pratibha Patil at the International Conference on Spirituality and Social Work, held in Pune, from March 21-23rd, 2014.
First Annual Give a Buck, Get a Duck Regatta

Congratulations to the Student Giving Campaign!

 

Goal: $500

Total Raised: $517

 

Contributions from this race will impact the School's Fund for Field which provides support for social work students while in their internships.

 

Students who made gifts to the campaign received 1 duck per dollar donated to race in the 1st Annual Give a Buck, Get a Duck Regatta.

 

Nearly 500 rubber ducks raced their way down the CRCE waterslide and past the finish line! 

 

Check out the fun!

Give a Buck, Get a Duck- 2014 Student Giving Campaign
School Sparks Competition to Give Back
In recognition of Social Work Month, the School held a month long Consumable Goods Drive to gather donations for the Developmental Services Center (DSC) in Champaign, Illinois.

The DSC is a non-profit organization that serves approximately 1,400 children and adults with developmental disabilities per year in Champaign County and Ford County. The Center strives to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities by providing services and support which enable them to live, work, learn, and participate in their communities. The DSC was introduced to the School through the Communtiy Learning Lab and the Consumable Goods Drive was a direct result of the needs the DSC expressed.

The competition for most donations resulted in a tie between undergraduate students and graduate students, leaving faculty/staff in second place. Together, the School collected 226 rolls of toilet paper, 75 rolls of paper towels, 55 boxes of Kleenex, 44 bottles of hand sanitizer, 21 boxes of toothpaste, 20 boxes of Cheerios, 15 packs of applesauce, 14 boxes of sandwich bags, 13 boxes of plastic utensils, 9 packs of napkins, 7 boxes of Vanilla Wafers, 4 containers of Gerber Puffs, 4 packs of baby wipes, and 1 box of Gogurt.

Thank you to all who participated!

To learn more about the Developmental Services Center, click HERE.
Shaping Our World
The School of Social Work's Community Learning Lab was proud to participate in the University of Illinois' 6th annual Public Engagement Symposium on March 11, 2014. This year's symposium focused on the theme: "Shaping Our World."

The symposium provides faculty, staff, students, and community partners the opportunity to share innovative ideas and approaches to community engagement. Each year the symposium features presentations and displays showcasing their hard work and commitment to public engagement and addressing the needs of society.

The Community Learning Lab (CLL) equips and enables ambitious students and aspiring social workers to translate their education into real work practice: preparing and empowering the next generation of leaders to meet the needs of clients and their community. The CLL successfully completed its first pilot last fall and is currently in the second phase of development. Around 200 community opportunities were provided to students by over 40 agencies within the community. Over 3,000 hours of service were given to he community by students while the community in turn provided over 1,000 hours of supervision and mentoring. The success of the CLL can be attributed, in part, to the contributions of two student workers, Morgan Tarter and Cody Lewis, who have helped develop and run the first two pilot phases of the CLL and attended the symposium to represent all their hard work (pictured above).

To learn more about the University's annual Public Engagement Symposium, click HERE to visit their web site.
7th Annual Campus Undergraduate Research Symposium
Each year the University of Illinois gives undergraduate students the opportunity to present the fruits of their research, scholarly, and other creative endeavors. The symposium showcases their work with opportunities for these students to share with others across campus. The symposium reflects the wide range of academic disciplines at the University and speaks to the caliber of the undergraduate students. Sharing their work also demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the faculty to support and expand undergraduate research opportunities.

Nine BSW students from the School of Social Work had abstracts accepted for this year's symposium. Click HERE for a list of the students, their abstract titles, and the faculty member(s) who partnered with them.

The 7th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium will take place from April 14-18th, with the main symposium on April 17th from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm at the Illini Union. For more information, click HERE.
Alumna Recognized for Leadership
Each year the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) at the University of Illinois hosts a Leadership Luncheon to honor leaders and activists on the U of I campus and in the Champaign-Urbana community. Women who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of Advocacy, Business, Education, Science, Social Justice, Philanthropy, and Trailblazer are celebrated.

Patricia Morey, MSW 1981, was awarded the YWCA Women in Leadership Award for Education at this year's luncheon in mid-March. Patricia was recognized specifically for devoting over 25 years to educating the campus and local community about domestic and sexual violence. She currently serves as the Assistant Dean and Director of the Women's Resource Center at the University.

 2nd Annual LGBT Research Symposium

 

Methodological Challenges and Opportunities of LGBT Research in the Social Sciences

 

Dates and Location:

May 21, 4-7 pm: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work
 May 22, 8:30 am-7 pm: I-Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, IL

 

Keynote Speaker: Russell Toomey, PhD, Kent State University 

Dr. Toomey is an Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Studies at Kent State University. His research examines why marginalized youth in the United States (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth; Latino youth) experience disparate rates of poor health (mental and physical), developmental and academic outcomes, and attempts to identify the processes that promote well-being and reduce risk for these populations.

To learn more about the symposium, click HERE.

 

Registration: Registration is $25 and includes full participation in the symposium as well as refreshments and lunch on May 22nd. The deadline to register is May 7, 2014. Register online.

 

Co-Sponsors: University of Illinois School of Social Work, Department of Human and Community Development, and the Children and Family Research Center; The UP Center of Champaign County

 

Please contact lgbtresearch.uiuc@gmail.com with any questions.

Spring CEU Seminar

2014 Spring CEU Seminar
Friday, May 30, 2014
9 am - 4 pm
School of Social Work
1010 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL
6 CEUs Available
$30 per session or $50 for both sessions, $10 for lunch
9 am - 12 pm: Impact of Deployments and Combat Related Trauma on Military Families
Speaker: Brad Singer, MSW 1999, LCSW, Deputy Chief, Marne Behavioral Health Clinic, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, GA

A civilian provider, Singer supervises treatment teams who serve active-duty soldiers who often present with multiple deployment-related issues, such as combat-related PTSD, severe anxiety, and depression.

12 pm - 1 pm: Lunch (Boxed lunches will be available for $10 each)

 1 pm - 4 pm: Concealed Carry and Revealed Obligations: The Mental Health Professional's Legal and Ethical Obligations to Report Clear and Present Danger

Speaker: Sandie Kopels, JD, MSW 1983, Professor, University of Illinois, School of Social Work 

 

Prior to joining the U of I faculty, Professor Kopels was Director of the Legal Advocacy Service of the State of Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. Her research and teaching focuses on legal and ethical issues as they affect social work clients and practitioners. She has lectured extensively on subjects related to the confidentiality and disclosure of client information.

 

Click HERE to register online.
IN THIS ISSUE
March Match Results
Professor Emeritus Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Give a Buck, Get a Duck Regatta
Competing to Give Back
Shaping Our World
Showcasing the Work of Undergrads
Alumna Recognized for Leadership
2nd Annual LGBT Research Symposium
Spring CEU Seminar

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