ASK Wellness recognized with award as part of BC Social Work Week

KAMLOOPS — Social work is essential – that’s the theme of BC Social Work Week this year, from March 14 to 21.

“At Royal Inland Hospital, for example, social workers continued to support their colleagues, as well as patients, during the outbreak there,” Lorry-Ann Austin explains.

Austin is the Thompson-Nicola representative to the BC Association of Social Workers (BCASW). For her, this week is an opportunity to recognize social workers for the important work done over the past year to make sure no one is left behind.

“From child protection to hospital social work. We work in community social agencies, like ASK Wellness. We work to support people in the legal system, through probation offices and the like. It’s really a vast profession,” Austin explains.

The ASK Wellness Society was acknowledged by the Thompson Nicola Branch of the BC Association of Social Workers earlier this week with the Heart of the Grasslands Award.

“To be recognized as an agency that’s giving to our community, it’s a nice change of pace,” Kim Galloway, Chief Operating Officer for ASK Wellness explains.

While this honour is usually reserved for individuals, the society was recognized for their work in dealing with the dual health crises we’re facing in the province – COVID-19 and opioids.

“We’re grounded in our mission at ASK Wellness.,” Galloway tells CFJC Today. “We eat, breathe, sleep that belief that every person in our community has value.”

While in-person gatherings are still limited, Social Work Week events have migrated mostly online for 2021.

“Friday we’re having a drive-through COVID-safe event down at Riverside Park for social workers to drive through and get some swag and coffee cards and that kind of thing,” Austin says. “We’re being creative in the way we celebrate, too.”

For a full list of BC Social Work Week online events, you can visit BCASW.org.