Supervisors Honor 4 Social Workers

Four Orange County social workers have been recognized by the Board of Supervisors for their work on behalf of troubled children, adults in need of job training and pregnant teens.

The honorees are:

* Nieves Monge of Anaheim usually handles cases involving Spanish-speaking children and works frequently with the Santa Ana Police Department and local schools.

In one of her most challenging assignments, Monge had to tell two young children their their mother had been killed, leaving them orphaned.

* Melinda Howard-Williams of Irvine works with abused children, drug babies and others. When visiting a child one day, she noticed a fire in the home and was able to evacuate an adult and several children safely.

* Vickie Davis of Buena Park works with the Greater Avenues for Independence program, a job training service for people on welfare. Davis convinced several private-sector businesses to become involved in the program, which helps participants learn the skills needed to get jobs.

* Clarisa Espinosa of Huntington Beach works with pregnant teens. She created a program in which Orange County retailers donate supplies young mothers need to care for their babies.

Social Services Agency Director Larry Leaman offered his praise. “These workers often find themselves dealing with the most difficult, the most intimate and, at times, the most alarming aspects of human behavior,” he said.