Will County Gazette

State Rep. Jackie Haas, R-Kanakee, recently commemorated World Social Work Day by honoring local social workers in an industry that she has worked in for more than three decades.

According to a news release on her website, Haas worked as a social worker for more than 30 years, starting in 1994, and she joined the staff at Helen Wheeler Center for the Community in 1994. The news release noted that World Social Work Day is commemorated on the third Tuesday of March.

“Illinois Social Workers help individuals through challenges and difficulties they may be facing, and it’s important we recognize these professionals who touch so many lives in our communities,” Haas said in the release.

Haas, who according to her website earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Valparaiso University and a master’s from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she noted social workers often have to answer the call of need for myriad people.

“We are often called in to help women, children and families, the homeless – just to name a few – when they are experiencing some of life’s most challenging situations; medical complexities, behavioral health issues, trauma and abuse,” she said in her news release.

While pursuing the master’s degree, Hass pursued a specialization in health, according to her website, and later was named as CEO of the Wheeler Center in 2000. During her career, she has championed efforts to expand economic opportunity, healthcare and early childhood development in the region, according to the release.

“We are there for those we serve in some of the best and worst times in their lives,” she added in the release. “Let’s recognize this hard work every day and be sure to thank a Social Worker today.”

Hass is the House Assistant Republican Leader, according to her website, and she also serves as the House GOP spokesperson for the Health Care Availability and Accessibility and Mental Health and Addiction committees. She also serves on the Prescription Drug Affordability and Accessibility and Human Services committees, according to the news release on her website.