[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 26 (Friday, February 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          A TRIBUTE TO THE ACADEMY OF CERTIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 26, 2010

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
Anniversary of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW). The year 
2010 provides us an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of 
Academy members throughout the past five decades.
  Established in 1960, on the verge of revolutionary social reforms, 
the Academy of Certified Social Workers was the first credential 
created by the National Association of Social Workers to acknowledge 
leaders committed to the social work profession and to improving 
society. Before individual states enacted licensing regulations for the 
social workers, the Academy served as the sole source of designating 
social workers qualified for social work practice.
  The 50th Anniversary of the Academy of Certified Social Workers is 
noteworthy in America because it recognizes the past and present social 
workers who have made significant contributions to society. Academy 
members include six dedicated individuals. James Dumpson is the former 
vice president of the New York Community Trust, one of the nation's 
largest, oldest and most respected philanthropic organizations and a 
leader in the community foundation movement. Ada Deer is recognized as 
an advocate and organizer on behalf of Native Americans. She became the 
first woman to be appointed Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, U.S. 
Department of the Interior. Delwin Anderson was Director of the Social 
Work Service of the Department of Medicine and Surgery in the Veteran's 
Administration from 1964 to 1974. Bernice Harper was Medical Care 
Advisor to the Health Care Financing Administration in Washington, DC 
and she is a pioneer in hospice and palliative care. Warren Graham, 
with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, implemented the 
``Reclaiming Futures Initiative,'' instituting county-wide change in 
the New York juvenile justice system addressing adolescents who are 
substance abusers. Jessica Sawyer is currently involved in the 
development and implementation of a pioneering process for 
incorporating mental health treatment in a medical setting in North 
Carolina.
  Members of the Academy of Certified Social Workers represent the 
thought leadership of the profession. In clinical settings and case 
management; in courtrooms, communities, government agencies, and 
medical facilities; in universities and other professional educational 
venues and at local, state, and federal policy level; ACSWs span the 
range of social work practice from direct service to research and 
systems analysis for individuals, families, groups, and communities. 
The accomplishments of Academy members in social justice, social 
welfare, mental health, and philanthropy and humanitarianism have had 
significant positive effects in our society. Today's Academy holders 
continue to create and inform innovative practices to improve the 
quality of life for current and future generations of Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
ACSW leaders who influenced America so profoundly in the past and 
acknowledging the work of over 35,000 current members of the Academy 
who continue to make a difference in people's lives today.

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