Crewe Named one of Next Avenue’s 10 Influencers in Aging
Maryland Chapter member and NASW Social Work Pioneer® Dr. Sandra Edmonds Crewe was named one of Next Avenue’s 10 Influencers in Aging for 2022 as a result of her work to mitigate social isolation among older adults.
Dr. Crewe, a professor and dean of the School of Social Work at Howard University in Washington, D.C., is a co-leader of the Social Work Grand Challenge to Eradicate Social Isolation, an NASW-supported initiative of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
The Next Avenue story notes her current research concentrates on the interrelated issues of social isolation among older adults and caregiving in the African American community.
“I’m very encouraged because the next generation of social workers and others are very aware of the problem of social isolation,” Crewe told Next Avenue. “They’ve seen the effect of the pandemic. We have done a lot, but we have the opportunity to do a lot more.”
Next Avenue, a nonprofit, digital journalism publication produced by Twin Cities PBS, has recognized more than 200 Influencers in Aging since 2015.
Former social worker honorees include:
- Gretchen Alkema, former vice president of policy and communications at the SCAN Foundation;
- Kathy Black, professor of aging studies and social work at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee;
- Karen Lincoln, associate professor in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California, and founder of Advocates for African American Elders;
- Kevin Mahoney, founding director of the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services and professor emeritus of social work at Boston College;
- Atalaya Sergi, director of AmeriCorps Seniors; and
- W. June Simmons, president and CEO of the Partners in Care Foundation and an NASW California Chapter member.
Visit Next Avenue's website to read more about Crewe and the other 2022 Influencers in Aging.
NASW-NC Member Lovett Secures $17 Million in Grant Funding
The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded roughly $17 million in grant funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to help meet the mental health needs of students in the state’s public schools.
According to the NASW North Carolina Chapter, the funding will enable NCDPI to leverage partnerships with institutions of higher education and 15 school districts to increase the number and diversity of mental health service providers in high-needs schools. It will continue through 2027.
These grants will help the state bolster the pipeline of school-based mental health service providers, including school counselors, school social workers and school mental health clinicians.
Pachovia Lovett, MSW, NCDPI’s school social work consultant and NASW-North Carolina member, sought the two grants.
“Providing school-based mental health candidates with tuition assistance, high-quality professional development, sign-on incentives, and supplement increases will go a long way in helping to meet staffing challenges in school districts,” Lovett said.
“We are excited to begin this work and eager to see the impact in retaining and re-specializing counselors and social workers into school-based mental health providers.”
Rivers-Cannon Begins Role as President of School Social Workers Association of America
Terriyln Rivers-Cannon, MSW, EdS, EdD, officially stepped into her role as president of the School Social Workers Association of America (SSWAA) on January 1.
Rivers-Cannon is a 2019 National School Social Worker of the Year for the SSWAA, the first from Georgia, the first African American and first African American female to receive the honor. She earned an EdD from Argosy University in Sarasota, Fla.