EMU
professor named NASW's Social Worker of the Year
The old woman sat with Eastern Michigan University social
work professor Elvia Krajewski-Jaime in a Morelia, Mexico,
nursing home, trying to read along with the professor,
who'd brought a group of students to experience community
social work at ground level.
"I cannot read. I went blind a long time ago," the woman
said.
"Blind?" Krajewski-Jaime said. "But, you can see
me."
 |
SOCIAL STATUS: Elvia Krajewski-Jaime,
an Eastern Michigan University professor
of social work, was named the 2008 Social
Worker of the Year by the National
Association of Social Workers (NASW). |
The woman explained that yes, she could see people, but
the words on the page were a jumble.
"I took my eyeglasses off and put them on her and said,
'Can you read now?'" Krajewski-Jaime said. "And she started
to cry."
Krajewski-Jaime left that pair of glasses behind and,
the next year, her EMU contingent returned with some 50
pairs of eyeglasses in different prescriptions to give
to the elderly people from the poor rural areas around
Morelia.
Krajewski-Jaime, 70, has built a career of teaching, outreach
and advocacy on the principle that, "You are only successful
to the extent that, at the end of a particular project,
you have left the community stronger and more capable than
before."
Her efforts haven't gone unnoticed. In August, the National
Association of Social Workers named Krajewski-Jaime
its 2008 Social Worker of the Year. She'll be honored by
the NASW, the largest professional social work organization
in the country, in a yet-to-be scheduled virtual ceremony.
"I just thought she should be recognized for her
quiet work she does that has such a big impact on so many
people," said Guadeloupe G. Lara, who nominated Krajewski-Jaime
for the national award. "... She's published a lot
in the area of cultural awareness and serving the elderly
and, of course, her commitment to people where they are
at — to understanding their history and their background
— is very important."
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