Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE  — For Montrose resident and Ouray native Mabel Risch, compassion for others comes naturally. The shiny, new plaque in her office stating, “Social Worker of the Year,” seems inadequate in comparison to her lifetime drive to assist in change.

On March 19, Risch, a program manager for adult services at Montrose County Health and Human Services, was honored by The Western Slope Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers as the local Social Worker of the Year. She has been with HHS since 1995 and she expects to retire in the next year, but her desire to be a social worker started before she was even a teen.

“I knew I wanted to be a social worker at the age of 10,” Risch said.

Mabel Risch, a program manager for adult services at Montrose County Health and Human Services, was honored by The Western Slope Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers as the local Social Worker of the Year. (Joel Blocker / Daily Press) Advertisement

Her mother, who was one of Risch’s compassionate role models, supported her daughter’s drive and gathered information from the University of Denver on what her daughter would need to do to follow her dream.

Unlike many children, Risch didn’t sway from her childhood ambition.

“I can’t say I ever seriously considered anything else,” she said. “I just had compassion for people and to make things better.”

Even as a young child, she felt it was her job to help classmates grieve for lost loved ones, or to find them holeless shoes to wear. She was sought out by teachers and peers to resolve problems.

Though she knew what she wanted to do, she still had a lot to learn about herself. It was as a VISTA volunteer (founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965) from 1965 to 1966 in Appalachia where she learned a lot about her abilities. She was a young woman dealing with a community ravaged by alcoholism. Though she wasn’t sure how much she helped them, she said they helped her learn how to deal with people.

In 1968, she continued her education and got her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado. From there, she joined the Teacher Corps Intern program in the inner city of Kansas City, Mo. A year later, she became a child protection caseworker and supervisor in El Paso County until 1974. During that time, she received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Then, her home state called her back. She continued as a social worker for the Denver Department of Social Services and for Eagle County.

In 1989, she arrived at one of her favorite jobs — social worker and director of services at Samaritan House Homeless shelter in Denver.

It was “just straight social work” that she loved. No paperwork, or the bureaucracy that had her sometimes wanting to “bail.”

Though there are hard times, she said it was never the people, but only the system that was frustrating. She admits to thoughts of becoming a librarian or bookkeeper, but she’s stuck with social work despite the need for more outside resources such as drug and alcohol intervention and more judicial involvement. After retirement, she wants to remain involved, possibly helping establish a homeless shelter in Montrose County or tutoring at Vista Charter School, she said.

“It’s the process of helping,” Risch said. “I decided long ago, if you are to go into social work with the idea that people make massive changes and are grateful, you will be disappointed. It’s the process of helping make a difference. You do what you can and people make their own changes.”

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com

 

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