The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) recognizes volunteer social worker Yana Lavrick as our Volunteer of the Month for October. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lavrick holds Masters Degrees in both Psychology and Social Work. After moving to the Bay Area in 2013, she interned with an organization that works with domestic violence survivors, and became interested in working with an organization where law and social work intersected.

JDC’s commitment to holistic services attracted Lavrick, and she started volunteering as a social worker at JDC’s Legal Advice and Referral Clinics (LARC), held on two Saturdays every month. LARC provided a great opportunity for Lavrick to volunteer in an environment where people can get legal advice and referrals, as well as social services.

Because Lavrick recently moved to the Bay Area and had to learn about all the different resources in San Francisco, she empathizes with clients who are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin to look for resources to help them. This empathy gives her a real connection with the clients she helps at LARC.

Asked why she enjoys volunteering, Lavrick says it “challenges me on professional and on personal levels. There are never two same cases or two same problems, and there is an element of creativity while I try to figure out the best solution.”

Lavrick is working towards becoming a licensed social worker and starting her own practice. JDC thanks Lavrick for volunteering her social services experience to our LARC clinics.