AACF Silver Anniversary Gala-November 11, 2017

Dayton Art Institute
Gladys Turner Finney

Good Evening:

I was inspired to be a "giver" by values inculcated in me by my parents and religious faith.

My parents were :givers." They were always giving to family, friends, and neighbors.

Giving to others is a core value of my religious faith. Giving is a symbolic and action-oriented way to say "I care," "I thank you," "I love you."

My giving is a symbol of love and thankfulness and represents a legacy of faith, a faith in the future, a faith in young people- A faith in aspiring social workers, and a faith in others' capacity to change regarding issues of peace and social justice.

There is a Danish Proverb that says "He who gives to me teaches me to give." "To whom much is given,  much is required" is a biblical injunction and was said often to me by my high school history teacher, Miss Willie B. Thomas. Having been given to by so many, I must give.

I am a social worker. Coming out of the Jim Crow South, I came to believe that people I knew needed an advocate to speak up for them, which is how I chose social work as a profession. It focuses on the dignity and worth of all people, and advocates on their behalf to help them change their conditions and their lives.

Social workers do not make a lot of money in comparison to a lot of other professions. No social worker enters the profession to make money. They are motivated by the desire to help others.

My career as a clinical social worker spanned nearly forty years. I have worked with children, veterans, the elderly, and those needing end of life services, I have learned as a social worker to respect the dignity of all people. I have learned that all behavior is a search for meaning and that everyone needs love and something meaningful to do to have a self-sense of integration and wholeness.

In 1998, a friend introduced me to the AACF. We set up our fund at the same time. Because I value education and believe in the power of social workers as change agents to change lives, I established the Gladys Turner Finney Social Work Scholarship for social work students at Wright State University. To date, 18 students have been assisted with tuition and have achieved their goal of a bachelor degree in social work, BSW.

Later in 2002, after the death of my parents, I established a second fund, the Willis & Mary Bluford Turner Memorial Fund to honor their memory as an expression of gratitude for their giving to my life, and as a way to support the values and ideals of peace and social justice. My parents would be totally surprised by the fund. They were peace-loving and longed to see more evidence of peace and social justice. This fund carries on their legacy by supporting agencies in the community dedicated to peace and social justice.

The AACF is important because it allows us to pool our funds to make a larger impact. The fund now has assets of 6.5 million. This is evidence of what we can accomplish when we work together to achieve a common purpose.

On this 25th anniversary of the AACF, I rejoice and celebrate with you. It's amazing!
Thanks for being there to help me help others.