PRINTER'S NO. 638
No. 39 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ, MARCH 16, 1999
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 16, 1999
A RESOLUTION 1 Designating the month of March 1999 as "Professional Social Work 2 Month." 3 WHEREAS, For over a century professional social workers have 4 provided assistance and worked to effect beneficial social 5 change; and 6 WHEREAS, Social work developed in the last century in 7 response to poverty, homelessness, mistreatment of prisoners and 8 persons with mental illness and the plight of widows and 9 orphans; and 10 WHEREAS, The first training classes for social workers began 11 in 1898; and 12 WHEREAS, Social workers have played key roles in every major 13 social reform movement, from settlement houses to labor reform, 14 the New Deal and civil rights; and 15 WHEREAS, Many things we take for granted today, Social 16 Security, child labor laws, the minimum wage, the 40-hour week, 17 Medicare, unemployment insurance and humane treatment of persons
1 with mental illness, came about because social workers saw 2 injustice, acted and inspired others; and 3 WHEREAS, Professional social workers provide critical 4 services in areas such as health and mental health, child 5 welfare and aging. They strive to increase opportunities for all 6 members of society, and to speak out on behalf of the poor, the 7 vulnerable and the voiceless; and 8 WHEREAS, Every day professional social workers help alleviate 9 society's most intractable problems, working one-on-one with 10 troubled children and families, organizing communities for 11 change, performing cutting-edge research and administering 12 social programs; and 13 WHEREAS, An aging population, economic dislocations and other 14 demographic trends are creating a greater need for social 15 workers; therefore be it 16 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of March 1999 17 as "Professional Social Work Month" in recognition of 18 professional social workers' continuing efforts to provide 19 opportunities for a life of accomplishment, dignity and purpose 20 for all people and call upon the people of this Commonwealth to 21 unite with the social work profession in support of appropriate 22 programs, ceremonies and activities. C11L82JS/19990S0039R0638 - 2 -