ROCKLAND — Loren Andrews, LCSW was honored June 24 with the 2015 Social Worker of the Year award  by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He is a local social worker and long term RSU 13 School Board member.

The Maine Chapter of the National Association held the award ceremony at a ‘Social Times for Social Workers’ event at at In Good Company Restaurant in Rockland. Andrew’s  wife, Rita Furlow, two children, Aidan, 14 and Ella, 12, also attended.

Andrews is a practicing social worker, teaches social work at the University of Maine, and is chairman of both the the NASW Maine Legislative Action Committee, and the NASW committee on elections.  He also stepped up to lead Maine’s NASW PACE PAC, as the usual chairman had to step aside due to a conflict.

He taught a continuing education class for NASW on ethics and technology with Kim Lane.  For the past seven years, he has served as a representative of the town of Cushing to his the local RSU 13 school board.

Loren was surprised at the event, and happy to see board president Cathleen Dunlap; board president-elect and former student Robin Russel; and Branch B chairman, Cindy Pooler. Several of his students attended, including Holly Noonan, who he had recruited to be on the Legislative Action Committee last year. It was a well earned award for a man who has given so much of his life to serving the common good.