In 1984, the White House officially recognized March as National Social Work Month. Each year, the National Association of Social Workers plans various events to celebrate social workers and promote the profession. This month is a time to celebrate social work and the individuals who make up the field. This year’s theme was Social Work Breaks Barriers. On Thursday, March 23, 2023, the local Space Coast Unit had its Annual Social Work Celebration & Awards Dinner.

Our party was set up in the outdoor lower pavilion at The Mansion of Melbourne, to make the most of a lovely,and unseasonably cool, spring evening. The intimate setting allowed everyone to enjoy  a nice meal and conversation. After dinner, Earl Ledford, LCSW, the NASW-FL Space Coast Unit chair, introduced the awards presenter, Oscar Rivera, LCSW, the Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) and Legislative Chair. 

Oscar spoke of the six core values that make up the Code of Ethics, and how moving forward  we should consider how to center these values into our practice. Earl echoed these words in a post to the NASW-FL Space Coast Facebook group: “Over the next six months we hope all social workers in Brevard County can focus on…these values…and that these core values will drive all of our social work practices.” 

Image description left to right: award presenter oscar rivera, lcsw; social worker of the year denise bilder, lcsw; space coast unit chair earl ledford, lcsw pose for the picture next to the "social workers are awesome" banner.

The 2023 award recipients for the Space Coast Unit included: 

• Social Worker of the Year - Denise Bilder, LCSW received her MSW from the University of Central Florida and is currently a therapist offering teletherapy services.
• Elected Public Official of the Year -  Alex Goins, Cocoa Council Member, District 1, is a longtime resident of Brevard, graduating from Rockledge High and then going on to attend Bethune Cookman University. 
• Social Work Educator of the Year - Anna Maria Curry is a school social worker at South Alternative Learning Center (SALC), in Melbourne, FL. She was also the 2023 Teacher of the Year from her school. 
• Social Work Student of the Year - Olivia Anderson-Cro is a current MSW student on the Advanced Standing in Clinical Practice track at the University of Central Florida. She has a placement at the SALC where she provides peer mentorship to BSW interns there.

Leading up to the event, I had been feeling nervous about not  knowing anyone there. Luckily, I had already met quite a few attendees through the Brevard Network, and was able to meet many more Brevard social workers. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and kind. It was a great opportunity to meet local social workers in different stages of their careers–some just starting their social work journey–other students and recent graduates–and many were professionals with a wide array of experience. 

image description: amy poses with elected public official of the year Alex goins and mr. goins' guest: his mother betty goins.