The Staten Island Foundation Betsy Dubovsky Fellowship in Social Work
In 2021, the Foundation’s founding Executive Director, Betsy Dubovsky, passed away unexpectedly after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
The Foundation Board established this Fellowship in her name to honor her legacy. Betsy had always introduced herself as a social worker. She had received her Master’s in Social Work from Rutgers University and had started her career as a Social Worker at the Community Agency for Senior Citizen. Her training and perspective as a social worker has had an indelible impact on the Foundation’s approach to community service.
In 2022, the Foundation launched the Fellowship in partnership with our nonprofit colleagues. As the program has evolved, we have grown our appreciation for the essential role Social Workers play in our community. Social Workers touch our lives at every stage – from birth to death. They support Staten Island families in crisis when families may not know where else to turn.
The Fellowship provides financial support for Social Work students who would otherwise satisfy their academic requirement to perform an internship without compensation. In addition, Fellows participate in monthly sessions arranged by the Foundation with local professionals in order to help build a network of Social Workers. An annual conference has been added to further the Fellowship’s mission. We are grateful to have many Staten Island-based Social Workers generously share their time and expertise as presenters or as members of the Advisory Committee.
The Foundation is proud to continue this program to strengthen the local field of professionals and support the next generation of Staten Island Social Workers.