Reps. Brown, Condino, Ebli, Leland, Donigan, Coulouris, Espinoza, Accavitti, Ball, Bauer, Bieda, Brandenburg, Byrnes, Caul, Clack, Constan, Cushingberry, Dean, Gillard, Gonzales, Hammel, Hammon, Hopgood, Kathleen Law, LeBlanc, Lemmons, Marleau, Mayes, McDowell, Meadows, Meisner, Moore, Nitz, Pearce, Polidori, Proos, Sak, Schuitmaker, Shaffer, Sheltrown, Alma Smith, Spade, Stahl, Tobocman, Vagnozzi, Valentine, Warren and Wojno offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 271.

            A resolution commemorating March 2008 as Social Work Month in the state of Michigan.

Whereas, The origins of social work date back to the summer of 1898 when the first social work class was offered to college students; and

Whereas, Americans today enjoy many privileges because early social workers saw miseries and injustices and took action, developing private and charitable organizations to serve people in need and inspire others to do the same; and

Whereas, Social workers are highly trained and experienced professionals. Only those individuals who have earned social work degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral levels, and have completed a minimum number of hours in supervised fieldwork have the honor of holding the title of a “professional social worker”; and

Whereas, The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior, of social, economic and cultural institutions, and of the interaction and impacts of all these factors; and

Whereas, The social work profession is rooted in a set of core values embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history including: social justice; dignity and worth of the person; importance of human relationships; integrity; and competence; and

Whereas, Social workers continue to address the needs of society and bring our nation’s social problems to the attention of the nation’s leaders as well as the public as a whole; and

Whereas, With the inception of National Professional Social Work Month in 1984, March has been a month when social workers can join together to promote the profession and advocate for issues that affect social workers and their clients; and

Whereas, A national month dedicated to educating all Americans on the achievements and contributions of professional social workers which has resulted in improved quality of life for the people of Michigan; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate March 2008 as Social Work Month, and honor the contributions it is making to educate Americans on the commitment and dedication to individuals, families, and communities everywhere that social workers provide; and be it further

Resolved, We honor and join other organizations throughout the state and this country, as they use this occasion to honor the contributions of social workers; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the National Association of Social Workers Michigan Chapter.