voice

in this issue >>>

Winter 2010

Welcome to Our First Issue

Page

Faculty Profile 2

Alumni Spotlight 2

Sara Piotrowski Donates Kidney 3

We’re Accredited! 3

Phi Alpha 3

Fall 2010 Practicum Assignments 4

Work-Study Student Profile 4

Give A Little Bit 5

The Social Work Program at Adrian College welcomes you

to the first issue of ‘SW VOICE’ - our newsletter that will

give you an inside look at the program!

Get to know the faculty, hear about what one of our alums

is up to now, learn about a current social work student’s

summer project and find out what’s coming up this year with

the Social Work Club.

If you have an idea for the newsletter or would like to share

something about social work, please email the Program

Director, Charles Vanderwell, cvanderwell@adrian.edu.

We would love to hear from you.

Contact the

Social Work Program:

Valade Hall #231

110 S. Madison St.

Adrian, MI 49221

517-265-5161

2010 Social Work Graduates and Faculty

Back row L-R: Chuck Vanderwell, Chris Lada, Sarah Marsh, Jennifer Mohler, Candace

Bertges, Temitope Togunde, Anne Kern, Anthony Saunders, Susan Nichols

Front row L-R: Jodi Myers, Courtney Burrow, Amy Triftshouser, Alicia Winne

SW An inside look at the Adrian College Social Work Program

Issue

ONE

Charles Vanderwell, Program Director, cvanderwell@adrian.edu, x3962

Susan Nichols, Field Education Director, snichols@adrian.edu, x3964

Amy Moore, Administrative Assistant, amoore1@adrian.edu, x5024

2011 Social Work Seniors with Susan Nichols

Editor: Amy Moore

Congratulations to Jeff Boyce who

graduated December 3, 2010.

Alumni Spotlight

Cheryl Beauchamp, Social Work Alum - Class of 2007, was recently named Program Director of Special

Dreams Farm, a day program for adults with disabilities in St. Clair Township, Michigan.

Special Dreams Farm is a working farm that provides a place for disabled adults to feed and care for ani-

mals, plant and raise crops and take part in many other farm responsibilities and activities.

Check out the Special Dreams Farm web-

site: www.specialdreamsfarm.org

SW voice Page 2

profile... Faculty Charles Vanderwell, Social Work Program Director, holds an MSW from the University of Michi-

gan and has worked in private practice as well. He is a specialist in Marriage and Family Treat-

ment and Social Service Administration. He also has interest in the Consequences of Social

Class Inequalities and Welfare Policy.

Susan Nichols, Director of Field Education for the Social Work Program, holds an MSW from the

University of Michigan and works in private practice at Maple Hill Family Center in Adrian. Ms.

Nichols has been a court-appointed evaluator for custody cases and acted as an expert witness,

primarily in juvenile delinquency, divorce and child custody and visitation matters. She is a spe-

cialist in social work and supervision in mental health settings, child abuse, sexual abuse, social

work with divorced and blended families and adolescents.

Amy Moore, Administrative Assistant, graduated as Valedictorian from Morenci High School and

earned her Associate’s Degree from Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio. She

has extensive experience in administrative support and has worked for Merillat Industries, Adrian

Public Schools and most recently Tecumseh Products. Amy and her husband Bill reside in Morenci.

SW voice Page 3

AC Social Work Program accredited by

The Adrian College Social Work Program received

a formal acknowledgement of accreditation from

the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in

February 2010. The program now holds initial

accreditation status until 2014. An Accreditation

Celebration Open House was held April 15, 2010

to thank all those involved in assisting the pro-

gram with the process.

Phi Alpha Pi Mu National Honor Society for Social Work

Join other AC Social Work majors in the Pi Mu chapter of the Phi

Alpha National Honor Society for Social Work. Contact chapter

President Michelle Johnson today. mjohnson@Adrian.edu

Sara Piotrowski Donates Kidney

If you were to ask Sara Piotrowski what she did during her summer

vacation last year, she would have a very unique story to tell you.

Sara is an Adrian College senior and Social Work Major and she

donated a kidney last summer! She was part of a ground-breaking

surgery at the University of Michigan that paired three donors and

three recipients, including her own father. Her father received a kid-

ney from another young woman and Sara’s kidney was given to an-

other woman. This was the first time doctors at U of M had per-

formed a paired transplant involving three pairs. All three trans-

plants were successful and all six patients are recovering well. Sara

also participated in The Kidney Walk—a fundraiser sponsored by the

National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness and funding for re-

search, outreach and care for those with Kidney Disease. Sara was

Team Captain of the Spare Parts Team for the 2010 Ann Arbor/

Brighton walk. Through this experience, Sara developed a passion

for medical social work and intends to focus on that this year during

her Practicum at the Lenawee Medical Care Facility.

Interested in Work-Study? >>>

Work-Study Student Profile: Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson, Social Work Major, assists the Social Work Program as a Work-

Study student. She helps out a few hours a week in the office. Making copies, running

errands and helping with event set-up and clean-up are just a few of the things she might

be asked to do.

She often redesigns the bulletin boards that are just outside the Social Work Program

Offices. Last year, for the Accreditation Celebration Open House, she designed and

created the large banner that hung on the wall outside the office.

Michelle is also working at the Lenawee County Department of Human Services this

semester for her Practicum Assignment. She says, “It can be very intense. I learn some-

thing every day.”

SW voice Page 4

2010-2011 Practicum >>>

Student — Agency Assignments

Melinda Baughey — Lenawee County Department of Human Services

Jeff Boyce — Chicago Center - Branch Family Services

Caitlin Dickerson — Community Action Agency

Ryan Domschot — Lenawee County Mental Health Authority

Mindy Hagerman — Hospice of Lenawee

Michelle Johnson — Lenawee County Department of Human Services

Angelica Lopez — Chicago Center - West Suburban Medical Center

Rebecca Nowak — Catholic Charities of Lenawee

Sara Piotrowski — Lenawee Medical Care Facility

Crystal Salazar — Hope Community Center/

Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority

Special Thanks to our community partners and field instructors who

give so much to our students.

THE LATEST: AC Social Work Seniors attended the University of Michigan School of Social Work’s Social Work Day on Friday, October 22, 2010

Small things make it BIG! Even a few coins can make a big dif-

ference! When put together with the

few coins many others contribute, BIG

things can happen! Action Against

Hunger was highlighted at the event

as an organization that can do a lot

with a little….for example, did you

know that $50 can provide 45 days of

life-saving treatment for a malnour-

ished child?

The Adrian College Social

Work Club sponsored the

event ‘Make A Difference

— Give A Little Bit’ along

with the Social Work Pro-

gram on March 30, 2010.

Give A Little Bit >>>

AC Social Work Club high-lights how a little can mean a lot

A canned food drive was held to benefit The Daily

Bread — our local soup kitchen. Boxes were placed

all around campus as well as within the community.

Students, led by Jeff Boyce and Michelle Johnson

collected 1900 cans and other non-perishable food

items!

Upcoming events... Organ donation - panel discussion

Nursing Home visits

2nd Annual Give A Little Bit

Take Back the Night

Monthly movie nights

Preventing Partner Violence

Check out the Adrian College Social Work

Program FACEBOOK page for more…

SW voice Page 5

coming soon >>>

In The Next Issue

Social Work Month

Graduate School Snapshot

Practicum Potpourri

Was that you?

110 South Madison Street

Adrian, MI 49221

ADRIAN COLLEGE SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM

Contact us at 517-265-5161 www.adrian.edu