The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Oklahoma will be recognizing outstanding Oklahomans at its award ceremony March 5 at noon in Norman.
Under the leadership of Dr. Kay Decker, Social Sciences Department chair and professor of sociology at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Freedom West Community Development Corporation (Freedom West CDC) in Alva will be recognized this year as Social Services Organization of the Year.
Decker is the executive director at Freedom West CDC where the organization’s mission is to “revitalize the rural communities of its five county service region in Northwest Oklahoma to increase community sustainability through pro-active social and economic change efforts.”
The annual NASW conference will be held March 3-5 at the Embassy Suites. Conference registration is still available at the Association’s web site. Continuing education credit is available for social workers and other professions.
NASW is the largest professional social work organization in the United States, with members employed in more than 50 different fields of practice—including mental and behavioral health, health care, aging, child and family safety, schools, homelessness, veterans support, research and public policy. There are 650,000 social workers in the United States who serve 10 million clients a day.
NASW and its 55 Chapters support members of the helping profession by ensuring they follow consistent practice standards, complete advanced professional training, participate in grassroots issues advocacy and develop organizational leadership skills.
“Freedom West CDC was founded over 16 years ago with the primary purpose of developing additional affordable housing options in the five county service region that it serves,” Decker said. “Since that time, Freedom West has built and preserved over 170 housing units, and has worked diligently to focus attention on the region’s arts and cultural heritage as economic drivers for communities.
“It is a multi-million dollar non-profit that maintains its focus of assisting communities with revitalization efforts, improvements in housing options, and increased sustainability. The Freedom West CDC staff and board are to be commended for their hard work and dedication by providing non-profit leadership and creative solutions to problems facing rural northwest Oklahoma. I would like to thank Dr. Kylene Rehder and the NASW Oklahoma Chapter for recognizing our efforts at this year’s annual awards ceremony.”
For more information about Freedom West CDC contact Decker at 580-327-2150 or kldecker@nwosu.edu.