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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Social workers enter the profession because they
3have a strong desire to help empower individuals, families,
4communities, and our nation to overcome issues that prevent
5them from reaching their full potential; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Social workers have worked for more than a
7century to improve human well-being and enhance the basic
8needs of all people; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Social workers follow a code of ethics that calls
10on them to fight social injustice and to respect the dignity
11and worth of all people; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Social workers positively touch the lives of
13millions of Americans each day and in a variety of settings,
14including schools, hospitals, the military, child welfare
15agencies, small private practices, community centers, and in
16federal, state, and local government; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The 2023 Social Work Month theme is Social Work
18Breaks Barriers, embodying how social workers help empower
19individuals, families, communities, and our society to
20overcome hurdles that prevent them from achieving better
21well-being; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Social workers are the largest group of mental
2health care providers in the United States; they work daily to
3help thousands of Americans overcome mental illnesses such as
4depression and anxiety; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Social workers are on the front lines of the
6nation's opioid addiction crisis by helping people get the
7treatment they need and to prevail over substance use
8disorders; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Social workers help people cope with death and
10grief and help people and communities recover from natural
11disasters that are increasingly fueled by our warming climate,
12including hurricanes, drought, and flooding; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Social workers have helped this nation live up to
14its values by advocating for equal rights for all, including
15people of color, people who are Indigenous, people who are
16LBGTQIA2S+, or people who follow various faiths; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The social work profession is one of the fastest
18growing careers in the United States, with more than 60,000
19more social workers expected to enter the profession over the
20next decade; currently, there are over 22,000 social workers
21in Illinois and about 708,000 social workers nationwide; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Social workers have continued to push for changes
2that have made our society a better place to live, including a
3livable wage, improved workplace safety, and social safety net
4programs that help ameliorate poverty, hunger, and
5homelessness; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Social workers endeavor to work throughout our
7society to meet people where they are and to help empower
8people and our society to reach the goals they wish to attain;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
11ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare the month of
12March 2023 as Social Work Month in the State of Illinois; and
13be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the National Association of Social
16Workers-Illinois Chapter with our sincere appreciation for
17their efforts.