An alumnus of the AU Social Work program, Bert MacQueen, invited Professor Nancy Udolph to give a speech on March 24th for the Loudonville Rotary Club about just what it is social workers can do for a community. Mr. MacQueen is an administrator and co-owner of the Jac-Lin Manor health care facilities and president-elect of the Loudonville Rotary. The Loudonville Times covered the meeting and ran an article on April 5th (with photo!) by Jim Brewer.
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| Photo by Jim Brewer |
Prof. Udolph and Mr. MacQueen both understand that part of becoming a social worker is learning to be an ambassador for your profession. After the speech Prof. Udolph explained, “When I talk to community groups I talk about what Social Work really is. I share my perspectives on the stereotypes and then try to correct them and talk about the services we offer.” Prof. Udolph is quoted in the Loudonville Times article as telling the Rotary members, “Contrary to what some folks believe, social workers do more than pass out welfare checks and take away people’s kids.”
Students in social work know how unreasonable generalizations like that are, but you also know how pervasive misinformation can be. Even if people don’t have a negative opinion of social work, they may not understand just how many, or what a wide range of services social workers can provide.
Prof. Udolph outlined the kinds of problems social workers tackle and who they can help, as she does every time she speaks to a community group. “Even professors have to give oral presentations!”
