MARTIN, Tenn. – The four University of Tennessee at Martin Centers will each host a reception to honor March as National Professional Social Work Month. Government officials from the respective counties will be present to sign proclamations confirming the observances.
The UT Martin Ripley Center’s reception will be at 3 p.m. on March 14. Jon Pavletic, mayor of Ripley, and Rod Schuh, mayor of Lauderdale County, will be in attendance. The UT Martin Jackson Center’s reception will be at 2 p.m. on March 18. Jerry Gist, mayor of Jackson, and Jimmy Harris, mayor of Madison County, will be present.
The UT Martin Parsons Center’s reception will be at 1 p.m. on March 19 with Tim Boaz, mayor of Parsons, and Michael Smith, mayor of Decatur County, in attendance. The UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer will hold their observance at 1 p.m. on March 20. Ronnie Brooks, mayor of McNairy County, will sign the proclamation.
This year’s celebration theme, “Weaving Threads of Resilience and Advocacy,” emphasizes the value of using personal strengths and self-advocacy to manage serious life changes.
Social work has been recognized as a top-growth profession and directly addresses the increased demand for health care navigation, mental health services, family caregiving, child development and veterans’ assistance. There are currently more than 650,000 professionally trained social workers in the United States, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the field to grow to 800,000 workers by the year 2020.
Social work professionals work in hospitals, schools, businesses, branches of the military and government, and in thousands of non-profit and community organizations across the country.
National Social Work Month was established by the National Association of Social Workers.
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