Rittgers honored as Social Worker of the Year

posted June 5th, 2008

Shelia Rittgers Wherever Shelia Rittgers works, she sees the resilience of the human spirit.

In Durham, she sees it at her job of 10 years as a clinical social worker at the Children’s Health Center.

“I love my job. We discuss the impact of chronic illness, not only on the patient but on family,” she said. “I enjoy seeing the resiliency of children—when they see they are not defined by their illness, but that it is just a part of who they are. That is really pretty cool.”

Rittgers sees it, as well, far from Durham, in the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

“I’ve spent a lot of time—an education, a career, with those who live on the edge and those who are marginalized,” she said. “I saw the face of poverty when I went to Haiti. It was much different from what I have experienced in our country. But along with that, I saw the remarkable resilience of the Haitian people.”

Rittgers is matter-of-fact about her humanitarian work there. But through her efforts with Durham’s Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Luke’s Mission charity, she has helped provide eyeglasses to the poor, performed lifesaving re-hydration of adults and children, built disease-fighting latrines and supported Haitian medical students to help the people of the hemisphere’s poorest nation.

For her work in Durham, and for her avocation that has taken her more than 10 times to Haiti since 2000 to serve patients there, her colleagues have awarded Rittgers the 2008 recipient of the Brandy McDaniel Social Worker of the Year Award.

“Shelia’s dedication to the patients and families, colleagues, team members, and community is steadfast,” wrote Susan Trout, who nominated Rittgers.

And Rittgers will return to Haiti. She is planning a nine-day trip there next month.