"As Alpha Gams we are regularly told to “Live with Purpose.” I have taken this to heart and incorporated it into my current field of study and lifelong career goals. I am a social work graduate student at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. As most Americans are aware, my state, and Detroit in particular, has been hit very hard by the economic recession. In order to honor my home, I have chosen to be a change agent where I live. Homelessness, unemployment, sickness, hunger, and high crime rates are just a few of the social problems facing my home today. As a social worker, I will seek to soothe the pain of hunger, ease the burden of joblessness, advocate for healthcare for the sick and raise awareness of crime rates and homelessness. In addition to contributing to the world’s work in my community, I also seek to improve the health of my fellow Detroiters through individual therapy and advocacy.
The National Association of Social Workers has set forth a list of six core values that all social workers must adhere to. These core values include service, social justice, preserving the dignity and acknowledging the worth of the person, acknowledging the importance of human relationships and maintaining integrity and competence. Based on these core values, an entire Code of Ethics has been written. When I see these values and the Code of Ethics, I can see plainly the similarities between these documents and the Alpha Gamma Delta Purpose.
Being a competent social worker involves gaining understanding and knowledge so that I might be of the most help to my clients. It also involves networking and cultivating acquaintances with colleagues so that I will be aware of resources in my community. Truth, sincerity and kindness are all necessary to developing and maintaining healthy and constructive client relationships. Surely when Emily Helen Butterfield wrote the Purpose, she had high hopes for her community. It is a happy coincidence that I, a sister of the Fraternity she helped to start, should be continuing to act on these values in her own home community of southeast Michigan long after her passing. The ideals set forth by the Alpha Gamma Delta Purpose and the NASW Code of Ethics are high indeed and must be realized to their fullest meaning in order to be an effective social worker and loyal sister."
Do you have a "purpose," special Bible verse or other creed close to your heart that has shaped your course in life?
