This event is hosted by the Mercer Burlington County Unit.
New to a Unit event? NASW-NJ has 12 volunteer-led, county-based Units that hold regional events around the state of New Jersey for members in that area. (However due to the public health emergency, Unit events will be held virtually until further notice!) These events are planned and coordinated by an appointed volunteer Chair and Co-Chair, as well as a Regional Representative from NASW-NJ’s Board of Directors. The Mercer and Burlington County Unit leaders are Miguel Williams, LSW (mwilliams.mlw@gmail.com) and Dr. Michele Shropshire, LCSW (mshropshire@fordham.edu), and the Central NJ Regional Representative is Caelin McCallum, MSW (cae.mcc@gmail.com).
Unit events are a fun, informative way to grow your network near your home or workplace. These events are one of the many benefits of NASW-NJ membership, but we do invite all mental health professional to join us at this meeting. Learn more about our Units here.
Social Workers as Advocates: From Practice to Policy
Date: Wednesday, November 18th from 6:00-7:00pm
Zoom login information will be emailed to you once you register.
This presentation will provide the history of advocacy and social work, as NASW celebrates its 65 year anniversary and has much to highlight in the advocacy area. The basics of civics and legislative advocacy will be discussed, ending with some current day issues -hunger and homelessness- and what we can do to impact them.
Speaker: Joyce Campbell is the executive director of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), which currently serves an estimated 8,000 free meals each week to the county’s needy and provides services that increase self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life. Founded in 1982 TASK’s hallmark “no questions asked” has led many to our doors, serving the community over 4 million meals.
Prior to her employment at TASK, Joyce worked for more than 20 years at Catholic Charities of Trenton, where she was associate executive director for External Affairs. A professional social worker, Joyce earned her MSW degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick. She has been a passionate advocate for policies and programs that break the cycle of poverty and has provided numerous workshops on poverty and how to advocate for solutions.
Joyce is an active participant in the Anti-Poverty Network of NJ, a board member of the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, and serves on various Mercer County human service-related committees. She was recognized for her work by Congressman Rush Holt on the floor of the House of Representatives during his presentation of a resolution for the 100th anniversary of Catholic Charities USA in December 2010. In March of 2016 NJ Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri Huttle presented Joyce a resolution for Women’s History Month acknowledging her as a tireless antipoverty advocate.
Joyce also serves as a field liaison for Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work, and has guest lectured for several social work courses.
