Memorial to Social Workers Who Lost Their Lives While Performing Social Work Duties

Thank you to Dr. Elizabeth Clark, NASW Executive Director and NASW Foundation President; Dr. James Kelly, NASW President, and the NASW Social Work Pioneers® for providing leadership on this project.

NASW The Urgency of Social Worker Safety
James J. Kelly PhD, ACSW, LCSW
October 2010 edition, NASW News

"We became social workers in an effort to help others. We chose this helping profession because we thought serving others was a cause worthy enough to devote our careers to it. However, unlike many other helping professionals, social workers often must put themselves in harm’s way in order to help their client."
Read full text

In Remembrance of dedicated social workers who gave their lives in service to others

• Gabe Zimmerman-2011, Arizona
  NASW Press Release - NASW Mourns The Loss Of Social Work Leader Gabe Zimmerman
  SocialWorkersSpeak.org - In Memory: Gabe Zimmerman
  NPR - Arizona Victim Gabe Zimmerman: 'Devoted His Life To Social Work'
  
  
• Sharone White Bailey - 2010, Virginia
  SocialWorkersSpeak.org - Condolences
  The Virginian-Pilot Article
  
  
• Charles Keith Springle-2009, Baghdad.
  Arlington National Cemetery Announcement
  New Bern Sun Journal Obituary (Eastern North Carolina)
  
  
• Diruhi Mattian-2008, Virginia
  
  
• Brenda Lee Yeager-2008, West Virginia
  NASW West Virginia statement
  Tribute to Ms. Yeager
  
• Diruhi S. Mattian, Massachusetts, d. 2008 -http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/02/social_worker_i.html
  
  
• Boni Frederick-2006, Western Kentucky
  The Gleaner (Henderson Kentucky) News Story
  
  
• Teri Zenner-2004, Kansas
  H.R. 2165 Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act - To establish a grant program to assist in the provision of safety measures to protect social workers and other professionals who work with at-risk populations.
  Fox 4 Kansas City News Story
  
  
• Greg Gaul -Iowa, d. 2004
  USA Today Article
  NASW News Article, April 2004
  
  
• Donna Millette-Fridge-1998, New London, Connecticut
• Steven Tielke-1997, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Rebecca Binkowski-1993, Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Barbara Synnestvedt-1993, Whitmore Lake, Michigan
  
  
• Phyllis Caslin and Florence Pike -NY, 1992
  New York Times Article
  
  
• Robbyn Panitch-1989, Los Angeles County, California
• Ladonna Wolford, 1988, Romney, West Virginia
• Norman W. Fournier-1987, Tacoma, Washington
• Paul T. Grannis-1987, Northeastern Kentucky
• Jose Manuel Parada-1985, Santiago, Chile
• Michael Schwerner, 1964, Philadelphia, Mississippi
• Madeleine Levy,1944, Auschwitz, Poland
• Social workers at the Chicago L&R Relief Commission, early 1930s, Chicago, Illinois

Tell us what is happening in your state about social work safety - email us at naswfoundation@naswdc.org

Learn more about NASW's actions for Social Work Safety through the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative - visit
http://www.socialworkreinvestment.org/

Read Security Risk, Preventing Client Violence against Social Workers, NASW Press Publication

Make a contribution to the NASW Foundation in memory of one or all of these brave social workers - visit the Memorial and Tribute Fund