District 5 Staffer Receives Social Work Award

Lexington-Richland School District Five staffer Jennifer Felkel has been awarded the South Carolina Public Health Association's 2013 Public Health Social Work Award.

She currently serves as the district’s Coordinator of Parenting, Family Literacy, and Social Work Services. 

“I am truly humbled by this award,” said Felkel, who received the honor during the association’s annual conference this week. “This award reflects the devotion and commitment to our students and their families within School District Five by our entire community. Our community has a strong tradition of excellence, always coming together to find solutions. Instead of saying ‘no or can't,’ we say ‘yes and how.’” 

Felkel began her career in 1999 as a Program Coordinator of Teen Pregnancy with the Department of Health and Environmental Control in Aiken County. She joined District Five in 2001 and has served on several boards and committees, including the South Carolina School Social Work Association Board. In 2012, she received the Superintendent’s Outstanding Visionary Award. 

During her tenure at District Five, Felkel has helped to create several food pantries and expanded programs that offer assistance to families in need during the holidays. In 2011, she worked with District Five’s Community Roundtable and other groups to address hunger issues in the community. She also has organized major fundraisers, including a gala that raised $30,000 for a program that provides dinner and weekend meals for District Five students in need. During the 2012 – 2013 school year, Felkel began work to create family shelter services at the district. 

“Jennifer is a leader, motivated by compassion, creative in solutions and steadfast in implementing responses to community needs," said Community Roundtable Director Mark Boone, who nominated Felkel for the award. "Her tactics aren’t always conventional, her collaboration exceeds traditional boundaries and her care and love for the children of this school district are rivaled by none.”

Submitted by Lexington-Richland District Five.