South Bend social worker recognized with ‘Community Hero Award’

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - A social worker in the South Bend community is being honored as a hero for her hard work in helping others.

Kayla Heckaman works at the National Youth Advocate Program in South Bend and was surprised Thursday afternoon with a community hero award.

This award comes from Homes for Heroes in honor of Kayla’s efforts to help families navigate DCS as well as training foster parents for children in need.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I was in eighth grade. I just knew I wanted to be a social worker and I wanted to help people. I just kind of fell into this as an intern, and I just fell in love with it and didn’t leave. I’ve been here since 2017 and feel like I will be here forever,” Heckaman said.

Kayla says there is a huge need for foster parents in the community, and if you’re interested just head to nyap.org for more information.

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