For the Sheppard family, social work is more than a vocation.
With three generations of graduates of Memorial University’s social work program, it’s clear that making a difference in the community is at the heart of the Sheppard family’s life.
Now, through the Sheppard Family L’nu Student Scholarship, they are helping Indigenous students from Newfoundland and Labrador who aspire to work in the same field.
‘A lot of pride’
Elizabeth Sheppard (BSW’92, MSW’98), a social worker currently working in private practice in St. John’s, followed in the footsteps of her father George Sheppard (BSW’73, MSW’80).
“Growing up, everyone knew who my father was,” Ms. Sheppard said. “Not only was he an amazing administrator, but he also took a lot of joy in fostering his employees’ development. That always gave me a lot of pride.”
Mr. Sheppard is retired now, following a long and accomplished career.
He started in the Department of Public Welfare more than 50 years ago, working in Grand Falls, La Scie, Bay Verte and Bell Island, before serving as district supervisor in Labrador, followed by Corner Brook and Stephenville as the assistant regional director and later regional director of the Department of Social Services.
The next generation
As members of Qalipu First Nation, the family’s culture plays an important role for all three generations.
Ms. Sheppard’s son, Spencer Hewitt (BSW’24), navigated his cultural connection through sport, competing with Team Indigenous in athletics at the 2016 Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games, and as a member of the 2019 Newfoundland and Labrador basketball team at the Atlantic Indigenous Games in 2020.
As the newest member of the Sheppard family to embark on a career in social work, he has a keen interest in helping people in his community.
“Without trying out a few roles in social work, I can’t really say what I want to do yet,” he said. “I want to try things and see what sticks with me. I have a big passion for working with people with less, who aren’t as fortunate, recent refugees, the homeless population. I want to help them get on their feet and bring people up to a better standard of living.”
Mr. Hewitt is working with his mother’s practice as a clinical social worker, specializing in working with young adults aged 18 to 25.
“Human beings have feelings regardless of what their gender is.”
His mother and grandfather beam with pride at his accomplishments.
“He’s done a lot of volunteer work as well, even before starting with social work,” noted Ms. Sheppard. “It’s always been a passion for him to give back. He’s got a generous heart, so social work is a good fit for him.”
The older Mr. Sheppard agrees, adding that the younger Mr. Hewitt is often down on Water Street in St. John’s, bringing food and necessities to people in need.
Sheppard Family L’nu Student Scholarship
Creating a scholarship for Indigenous students helps to fill an important need by giving young people from historically marginalized communities support to pursue opportunities.
For the Sheppards, the needs that social workers can help meet have changed over time but remain acute overall.
“The major problems remain the same,” the younger Mr. Hewitt said. “Poverty is a massive issue. Homelessness is now highly visible, and there is no national housing policy. The problem has been amplified over the years. Parental training is rare. People don’t learn it in school.”
Ms. Sheppard does see signs of progress. She says there is “a lot more openness” about mental health and what happens in the home.
“Growing up it was private, family business,” she explained. “People are coming forward more for therapy. In my early career, you wouldn’t see as many men coming forward for therapy, but I think there’s a shift now, there’s more permission to talk about how you feel. Coming forward doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re a human being and human beings have feelings regardless of what their gender is.”
The positivity the Sheppards bring to their communities is infectious, as is their passion for creating positive change.
The Sheppard Family L’nu Student Scholarship is another step forward in making that change real for Memorial’s students.
Donations to the Sheppard Family L’nu Student Scholarship can be made here.
One hundred per cent of every donation goes to the area that you choose to support.
