Thursday, January 26
February 2012 - West Central District Update
To begin with, I would like to welcome Clayton Johnson, Jeffery McNaught, and Tamella Pool to the West Central District. We look forward to you being a part of the NASW team!
Here we are, well into the 2012 season. I hope everyone is adjusting to the new year well. We certainly can't have many complaints with the winter so far! With the new year, we have lots of things coming of quickly that I would like to point out and ask for feedback and help with.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
West Central District Awards: We are almost out of time! The deadline for nomination for Social Worker of the Year, Lifetime Achievement award, and Public Citizen of the Year is 01/31, and we currently have no nominations. It is impossible to imagine that we have no one in the entire district that is deserving of recognition. I ask you all to please consider nominating yourself or someone you feel is deserving of recognition. Again, all nominations are due on January 31, 2012. The nomination process is fairly easy. For information about the awards you can go to: http://www.naswil.org/news/chapter-awards/. The nomination forms can be found online: https://naswil.wufoo.com/forms/2012-nominations-for-annual-social-work-awards/. We have a lot of dedicated social workers and community leaders that work hard. This is our opportunity to say thanks and commend them for the work they do. Please nominate a candidate today!
Social Work Month Event: Along with the awards and March Social Work Month, I am working with two other organizations to put together an event that I think will be amazing. We still have a few details to finalize before I can release the information, but the dates will be March 30 and 31, 2012. Please mark your calendars now. More information will be released in the next few weeks. You won't want to miss it! The West Central District awards will be presented on March 31st.
Leadership Recruitment: The NASW Illinois Chapter’s Nominating Committee is needing to finalize nominations for the upcoming leadership elections in March. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in taking a more active role in the NASW. The Nominations Committee needs representatives from each of the eight districts to participate in the nominations process (2–3 teleconference meetings at most). The complete leadership recruitment packet and a nomination forms can be found at http://www.naswil.org/volunteer/join-the-board/. Submissions are due by January 31, 2012.
Did You Know...?
Advocacy Day 2012: Advocacy Day has been announced and will take place on Thursday, March 29, 2012! You find more information by going to the Advocacy Day page on our website for more information: http://www.naswil.org/advocacy/advocacy-day/.
CEU Events: I am currently finalizing a schedule to offer free one hour CEU events on the third Friday of each month. If you or your organization has a specialization you would like to present, please contact me. I have presenters for about half of the year. I will be releasing the calendar of events for the year along with times and locations in the next few weeks. Please watch your e-mails for more information. Contact me if you have ideas for presentations or would like to present yourself.
This Month's Challenge
I encourage all of you to find a way to get involved with the NASW. There are several opportunities to suit all schedules and interests. Several opportunities have already been mentioned in this update. Please start by nominating potential award recipients, marking your calendar to attend a NASW sponsored event, and sending me an e-mail about a topic you would like to present or an idea for a presentation. With your feedback, we can work to provide opportunities that meet the needs of social workers throughout the district.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Audrey LeMasters
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
