What’s Happening Now!
A listed quarterly preview of relevant monthly community events in Raleigh and our local area.
May Events
May is Military Appreciation Month
Tomeko Brown, author
May is Military Appreciation Month, a time to honor and celebrate our service members and their families. Officially launched in 1999 by Senator John McCain, this month-long celebration strategically aligns with a month that commemorates significant military anniversaries to emphasize the invaluable contributions of our troops.
Numerous celebrations and activities are organized across the country to honor the military community during Military Appreciation Month. The nation comes together to honor those who have served and their families. Important days like Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day and Military Spouses Day highlight the unifying power of our armed forces and the nurturing responsibilities played by their families.
To learn more about Military Appreciation Month, as well as events honoring these contributions, history and resources, check out the websites below!
- 2024 Military Calendar–Holidays, Observances
- Offers a list of all 2024 military holidays, observances and events recognized throughout the year.
- National Military Appreciation Month
- Military and Veteran Services
- North Carolina State University’s centralized resources in support of military-affiliated students.
- Military–UNC System
- The University of North Carolina System is proud to support our military and is committed to the mission of educating members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and their families.
- When is Military Appreciation Month? Why Do We Celebrate it?
Opportunities to Join the Child Welfare Workforce
Tomeko Brown, author
North Carolina is one of nine states in the United States that operates as a federally mandated, state supervised, county administered social services system. This means that social services (including child welfare services and adult services) receive funding and authorization of programs at the federal level. The state (Health and Human Services) provides oversight and support while each county agency is responsible for the delivery and administration of necessary services and benefits to children and families across the state.
Since 2015, North Carolina Child Welfare Services has been working on agency-wide improvements in areas such as service provision, family and youth leadership, staff development, and improving services and support for youth in out-of-home care. Throughout these past eight years, the state has witnessed many positive impacts in communities across the state as a result of these improvements. While county-child welfare agencies continue to raise their standard of care and professionalism in service to their communities, one of the most difficult challenges they face in recent times is staffing shortages. Across the state of North Carolina, many county child welfare agencies are working at less than full capacity staff levels, which leaves the workforce and community feeling the strain. In the field of social work, there are many unique opportunities to assist family members, children, and youth. Social workers help families to tap into their strengths and build resilient support networks to work through personal challenges and make their families safer and healthier. Honoring the principles such as “families are experts about themselves,” “judgements can wait,” and “everyone has strengths,” child welfare staff work tirelessly with families to keep them together, increase access to resources for parents and youth, and engage other community agencies to actively support overall family, child, and youth, wellness. If you or someone you know may be interested in joining the child welfare workforce, please take a look at what opportunities may be available to you here!
For more information, visit the links!
- https://www.ncdhhs.gov/childwelfareworks
- https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/about-dss/general-information
- https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/services.pdf
March Events
March is Social Worker Appreciation Month
March is Social Worker Appreciation Month! The theme for 2024 is Empowering Social Workers! A social worker’s role is not only incredibly important for our society, but it is also a demanding and difficult career. Therefore, March is an important time to acknowledge the phenomenal work that social workers across the country do to help others who are struggling. During this month, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has the goal to “raise awareness of the social work profession and highlight the need for the government, regulators and employers to work to improve pay for social workers as a way of investing in addressing challenging social issues” (2024).
February Events
February is Black History Month!
This is a time to honor the incredible contributions made by African Americans in the United States. Black history is American history! Here are two events happening in Raleigh to celebrate Black History Month:
Saturday, February 17, 2024
11:00 am to 3:00 pm | FREE | Artspace, Raleigh
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Meet the Heroes–a kid-friendly, interactive Black History event
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Walltown Park Recreation Center, Durham