Every time Ruth Gerritsen-McKane walks by the Social Work Building, she will be reminded of her late husband.
McKane, a U graduate and former College of Social Work student, dedicated a brick to her late husband, Brian McKane, who was killed by a drunk driver Dec. 28, 2004.
McKane, who is also the director of field education for the bachelor of social work program, purchased the brick that will read “Ruth and Brian McKane — Live and Love” through the Community Bricks project that has been launched in order to raise funds for the construction of a new social work building.
The new Wilford W. and Dorothy P. Goodwill Humanitarian Building will have a patio where the bricks with names and messages of the college’s supporters will be permanently placed.
Community members can purchase a brick to be stamped and placed in the patio, which will be under a skywalk connecting the new building with the old building.
Anyone can purchase the bricks for $50 or $60, depending on how many lines of text he or she wants.
Kym Meyer, executive director for the Utah Chapter of National Association of Social Workers, purchased a brick along with her association counterparts. She says the U’s social work program is essential to the community and that her association collaborates and works closely with the college.
About 40 bricks have been sold so far.
“What we’ll do is intersperse them with plain bricks and allow people to add bricks,” said Lisa Himonas, development officer of the College of Social Work. “It will be alterable as time goes on.”
The patio and building are both expected to be completed in March. Himonas said that the college hopes to sell several hundred bricks, if not more.
“We have to pay the stamping cost, so about two-thirds of the money goes to the college,” she said.
“We look forward to seeing the completed patio full of names of our graduates, donors, faculty and staff, along with messages they have shared making their history at the college, honoring loved ones, and offering tributes to their community,” said Jannah Mather, dean of the College of Social Work.
The new building will include the Goodwill Suites, which will help enlarge the college’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a program that helps elderly citizens stay in their homes longer, said Himonas. It will also include two clinical training areas equipped with one-way mirrors so students can observe clinical situations.
There will be a community meeting room intended for training sessions that will hold about 150 people in a conference setting. The Social Research Institute, which is currently housed in the Social Work Building, will be expanded and moved to the new building, as well.
“We hope all this adds to improved education and service to the community,” Himonas said.
The building will be named after Wilford and Dorothy Goodwill, who are primary donors to the college. The Goodwills became involved with the college through the Social Research Institute that funds studies on the elderly, which led to the creation of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.
“They believed a lot was being accomplished, so they donated the building because it serves humanitarian needs,” Himonas said.
Brick sales will continue until sometime in March, but may resume if more bricks are available. Bricks can be purchased through the College of Social Work.