|
For Immediate Release February 20, 2009
NASW 2009 Public Citizen of the Year Nominated
Mirah Riben, family advocate nominated for work in adoption
Mirah Riben, of South Brunswick, New Jersey, has been nominated National Association of Social Workers (NASW and NASW/NJ) Public Citizen of the Year 2009.
Riben, an advocate of family preservation and supporter of those separated by adoption for forty years, was nominated for both the national and NJ state awards by Harry F. Kuhn III, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker of South Plainfield, New Jersey. Riben advocates for more ethical, honest and open child care alternatives, with less profit-driven motivation, when no extended family is available to provide safely for a child.
The NASW Public Citizen of the Year Award honors an outstanding member of the community, who is not a social worker, but whose accomplishments exemplify the values and mission of professional social work.
Comparing Riben to women such as Cindy Lightner, founder of MADD and Maureen Kanka who established Megan’s Law: women who changed social conditions as a result of the loss of a child,
Kuhn describes Riben as "an exemplary model of a woman who has courageously made significant contributions, demonstrating outstanding leadership, and who exemplifies social work values and ethics.”
Riben is Vice President of Communications, Origins-USA.org and author of two books on adoption, including The Stork Market: America's Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry (2007), reviewed in Adoption Today, Oct/Nov, 2008 where it was hailed as "a must-read…straightforward account of the adoption industry as it exists today. Concise, well researched and documented."
Her nomination is endorsed by experts in the field of adoption, social work, child psychology, theology, feminine studies both nationally and internationally. Bernadette Wright, Ph.D., President of Origins-USA commends Riben as a “leading advocate” for marginalized mothers who “has worked tirelessly to empower, organize, and bring about social justice…as well as increase public awareness of the importance of mother-child relationships”….enduring criticism from those “threatened by her work to stop unfair adoption practices and make family separation a last resort.”
Former Director-at-Large of the American Adoption Congress (AAC), Riben has appeared on national television, radio and been invited speaker at numerous prestigious adoption conferences. She will be presenting at the American Adoption Congress national conference in Cleveland, April 22-26, 2009 and holding a book signing.
For additional information: http://www.AdvocatePublications.com
Contact:
Mirah Riben Harry F. Kuhn
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
732-329-3769 908-769-0786
# # #
|
