2005 National Awards Ceremony and Reception - NASW Foundation

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THE HONORABLE OTIS S. JOHNSON, PhD, ACSW Public Elected Official of the Year Award Well into his first term as Mayor of Savannah, Otis Johnson has gained the respect of its citizens by translating his valuable social work skills into positive changes for Savannah-Chatham County. Mayor Johnson ran on a platform using the acronym N.E.E.D. – Neighborhood Empowerment and Economic Development. He is striving to provide continuity of services for members of the community as it relates to crime, health, education, and community services. While in office, he has implemented several strategies to reach out to the community to determine their greatest needs. At the beginning of his administration, Mayor Johnson held a retreat with the City Council to identify the priorities for community improvement. The result was a unique plan publicizing the specific remedies to improving neighborhood quality, public safety, poverty reduction and economic development. Quarterly town hall meetings and live Internet chats make the Mayor and City Council accessible to their constituency. He encourages community members to voice their opinions and solutions, making each person responsible for developing solutions to resolve problems. political and practical skills to move those ideas toward action. He sets precise goals and deadlines, and doesn’t shy away from harnessing the prestige of the mayor’s office.” Tackling difficult issues and creating innovative solutions has been the hallmark of Mayor Johnson’s life’s work and the benchmark of his administration. His social work experience began 30 years ago working in anti-poverty programs in Savannah. Over the course of his social work career, he has also worked closely with youth on issues of drugs, school dropout prevention, and teen pregnancy. His extensive work in academia allowed him to establish an undergraduate social work program at Savannah State University. Mayor Johnson has devoted his professional career to making conditions better for the people in Georgia. In addition to Mayor, he has worn many hats in the Savannah community. He served on the City Council Board and the Board of Public Education. He also served as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Savannah State University. Viewing issues from a social worker’s perspective, Mayor Johnson guides others to not just stop at the symptoms, but to take a holistic view of the problems and create viable answers. The National Association of Social Workers is honored to name Mayor Otis Johnson as the Public Elected Official of the Year. Georgia Trend Magazine’s February 2005 issue summed Mayor Johnson’s passion precisely: “Perhaps his greatest strength as a politician is combining an academic’s ability to analyze community problems in the abstract, with the 6
SARAH KRAMER Public Citizen of the Year Award Sarah Kramer has consistently acted with courage, demonstrated outstanding leadership, and exemplified social work values and ethics throughout her volunteer career. Ms. Kramer began her advocacy efforts in the early 1990’s writing action letters on behalf of Amnesty International and created Amnesty International Chapters in the local high schools. To continue these efforts, Ms. Kramer visited death row inmates to offer support and encouragement. She developed a relationship with one such inmate, Gary Burris, with whom she spent much time. She continues monthly visits to other death row inmates and she works closely with the Indianapolis Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Ms. Kramer also saw a need for advocacy on behalf of gay and lesbian citizens of her small Midwest town of Columbus, IN. She spearheaded the effort to create the Gay/Straight Alliance (G/SA) an organization that raised money and awareness for the global AIDS pandemic. G/SA has formed a permanent alliance with the Columbus Human Rights Commission and together they enhanced sensitivity training for police officers and appointed a police community liaison. grew a group called ACCEPT, Addressing Columbus Cultural Education and Promoting Trust. This group co-sponsors large community events including annual Stop the Hate Vigils, which encourage awareness regarding hate crimes, and the Empty Bowl Project, which raises money to feed the poor. Ms. Kramer has supported the Bike Aid program by hosting bikers each summer at her home as they travel across the country to learn about social issues. For Ms. Kramer, advocacy and education does not simply end with the Columbus city limits. She leads Friends of Haiti, a program that creates self-development projects,. Some of these projects include women’s cooperative programs, adult literacy programs, a water purification program, and the school sponsorship of hundreds of children and youth in Haiti. The Friends of Haiti program is a collaborative effort between St. Bartholomew Catholic Parish in Columbus and St. Ann’s Parish in Limonade, Haiti. Ms. Kramer enriches the community by educating, advocating and working with existing organizations to develop new methods of increasing public knowledge about human equity. NASW is proud to present Sarah Kramer with the 2005 Public Citizen of the Year award. In addition to these efforts, Ms. Kramer is the longtime leader of Columbus Peace Fellowship, helping people to understand the global issues that divide people. She directs Face-to-Face dialogues, bringing diverse populations together to find common ground on divisive issues. From these conversations 7
Page 3 and 4: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORK
Page 5 and 6: WELCOME REMARKS Elizabeth J. Clark,
Page 7: SHERYL BRISSETT-CHAPMAN, EdD, LICSW
Page 11 and 12: NASW STATE CHAPTER “SOCIAL WORKER

2005 National Awards Ceremony and Reception - NASW Foundation

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