University Park, IL,
08
November
2021
|
14:47 PM
America/Chicago

Join CHHS for a Virtual Celebration of the Life of Adelle Sanders

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The Social Work Department invites you to a virtual “Celebration of the Life of Dr. Adelle Sanders” on Friday, November 12 from 6 to 7 pm. The GSU community, family and friends will come together to honor Dr. Sanders’ life and legacy.

Dr. Sanders joined the Governors State University Social Work faculty in 2002 and subsequently was awarded tenure. She primarily served the Bachelor of Social Work program, including coordinating the program from 2004 to 2007. Her active involvement in service to the greater GSU community included election to the Faculty Senate, chairing the Academic Program Review Committee, and membership on the Academic Program Elimination Committee, the University Honors Committee, and the University Personnel Committee.

Of Eastern Cherokee descent, Dr. Sanders was known for her commitment to social justice and her community and political advocacy, particularly on behalf of Native peoples. After spending most of her childhood in Gary, Ind., she moved to California, where she earned her Bachelor, Master of Social Work, and Doctorate in Public Administration degrees.

Her early involvement in social movements evolved into more targeted political and professional activities, including lobbying for the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and assisting California tribes in their restoration and reconstruction nation building efforts. Examples of her extensive professional activities include work with the Sacramento County Housing and Redevelopment Agency, development and administration of an Indian Youth Leadership Program, and her own consulting firm (Sanders and Associates), which provided technical expertise to Indian Tribes in community and program development and to non-profit organizations and minority businesses.

She also served on a number of community boards, including in the positions of Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Sacramento Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission. Dr. Sanders taught in the Division of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento from 1986 through 2001. She published and presented primarily in the areas of social services, social policy, and diversity.

Professor Sanders passed in October, and is survived by her son Eric Jones of San Francisco. She will be fondly remembered by her friends and colleagues at GSU, and forever loved and respected by her students and former students, in whom she instilled a love for macro-level social work —community and political advocacy. Her legacy will carry on through the professional work of the students that she has influenced over the years.

Dr. Sanders' memorial service can be accessed through Zoom at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82499803067?pwd=dHJ6REt0dzNvVGNHbGV6bXFPN2Qzdz09

Meeting ID: 824 9980 3067

Passcode: 146424

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Reflections, videos, memories, and photos of Dr. Sanders may be shared on the following “kudoboard” page: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/ii5dMqph