Mid-western Branch

Mid-Western Branch includes Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Stratford, and the surrounding areas.

Board Members

President: vacant
Vice-President: vacant
Sharon Evans, Past President
Merilyn Thompson, Secretary
Angela Hammond, Treasurer
Deb Moskal
Mary Varey
Santiago Grande
Dina Etmanskie
Kiera Palmer
Rachel Mahrer
Rick Sherwood
Elizabeth Dantzler, Wilfrid Laurier University student
Jennifer Taun, Renison University College student

Recent Branch Initiatives

“How to Get Your Brain to Do What You Want it to Do”, October 18, 2011, presented by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Board Members Needed - “OASW is the Voice of Social Work in Ontario”

The Mid Western Branch of OASW is presently seeking members to join our local Board. The Board, in collaboration with the provincial office, is involved in promoting public awareness of the roles carried out by social workers and to promote social advocacy initiatives in our region.

We are currently looking for members interested in the role of General Members to join the Board. The meetings are held at Renison College in Waterloo from 5:30-7:30 pm on the first Thursday of each month except for July and August. A light supper is provided.

If you are interested in information about participating on the Board and in working with an enthusiastic group of committed individuals, please contact Deb Moskal at 519-745-4944 or dmoskal@rogers.com.

Social Work Week

We actively support Social Work Week activities in March of each year, collaborate with the two schools of social work in our region for learning events and promote local social advocacy/justice issues.

Annual General Meeting

A very successful AGM was held on May 25, 2011 in Kitchener. Following the business portion of the meeting, guest speaker, Dr. Carol Irizarry presented “A Diamond in the Rough”, in which she combined her two passions: the arts and social work. She emphasized that the concept of using the arts as a medium to work with clients and relate to them in non-verbal ways is often used by social workers. She stressed that In order to further understand client scenarios through the support of lateral thinking and creative conceptualization, social workers must embrace approaches that stem from an artistic lens in addition to maintaining a theoretical stance.

Contact Information

Secretary: Merilyn Thompson