There are few successes more gratifying in a social worker’s life than when we know our work has resulted in a positive life change for one of our clients, or has created new initiative for a program or policy that better serves an entire population of people. As social workers, we often savor these accomplishments privately, knowing that we have made a real difference in one life—or many lives—that day.

The National Social Work Public Education Campaign is about celebrating social work successes and expertise in a more public way. We know that when people understand the impact social workers have in their communities, they are more likely to support the issues and people for whom we advocate. With new information, they also learn that social workers can help their own families when life becomes challenging.

As you can see from the articles in this publication, the campaign planning team, our NASW chapters, and numerous schools of social work have been busy making the grand idea of a national campaign for the social work profession a wonderful reality. Through this effort, we are gradually introducing the breadth and depth of social work to new audiences, new allies, and, yes, to new clients.

We are both very proud to be part of this historic endeavor and hope that we can count on your participation to help us communicate the real value of social work contributions.