Daughters of Wisdom Award $10,000 Grant to SEPA Mujer
Sr. Maria has participated in many activities and events to support SEPA Mujer.
The Daughters of Wisdom awarded a $10,000 Wisdom Grant to SEPA Mujer, Inc., one of ten grants awarded in late 2023 through its Wisdom Mission Fund. SEPA Mujer, which translates to "Servicios Para el Avance de la Mujer" or "Services for the Advancement of Women," was founded in 1993 to address Latina immigrant women's unique needs and support this vibrant community on Long Island. SEPA Mujer was the first and remains the only organization dedicated to providing legal assistance, education, leadership development, and emotional safety to immigrant women in the region. The organization strives to nurture and improve the self-esteem, physical and emotional security, economic independence, and civic engagement of its members and all Latina immigrant women on Long Island. SEPA Mujer's vital work occurs through a bottom-up membership model. Their main office is in Patchogue, New York, and four chapter offices are in Huntington Station, Hampton Bays, Central Islip, and Riverhead, New York.
Latina immigrant residents are welcome to attend every monthly chapter meeting, where they are provided with culturally competent and trauma-informed resources to help them with basic needs and paths to success. The Daughters of Wisdom Grant will solely focus on SEPA Mujer's Huntington Station chapter location at St. Hugh of Lincoln Church in Huntington Station, NY.
The goal is to empower Latina victims and survivors of gender violence to become influential and strong leaders through the Civic Engagement/Leadership Development (CELD) Training Level I and Level II Programs and SEPA Mujer's Huntington Station Chapter Meetings. The funding will provide for 15 new participants to complete two 5-week training sessions designed to:
Encourage and develop the voices of participants' experiences.
Provide leadership guidance and advocacy training.
Guide participants towards engagement in civic life and community organizing, including training on the legislative process, identifying problems, solution generation, local politics, organizational partnerships, and more.
Increase representation of Latina communities in town halls, public hearings, legislative visits, social justice actions, and overall advocacy efforts.
The programs support and engage participants in becoming effective social change agents. SEPA Mujer's model is to assist and guide victims toward becoming survivors who grow into community leaders.
The Huntington Station Community of the Daughters of Wisdom endorsed this grant. In her letter of support, Sr. Maria Jesus Pinedo Aguilar wrote, "I am part of the SEPA Mujer institution that offers different services for the advancement of women...Every month, on the second Wednesday, leaders of SEPA Mujer meet women in the parish to receive different types of orientation and answer questions about the difficult reality they are experiencing as mothers, wives, and workers."
In addition, Sr. Marilyn Soeder, Sr. Bernadette Sassone, and Sr. Marie Josee Seide, in a joint letter of support, wrote, "Our Community in Huntington Station recognizes Sr. Maria Jesus Pinedo in her ministry with our Hispanic Immigrants. Sister offers support to immigrant women in multiple ways, including specific, direct support to women in personal and familial crises." They added, "In the past year, sister has begun to network with SEPA Mujer, an organization that shares concerns for immigrant women and children. In conjunction with SEPA Mujer, Sister Maria has arranged space in St. Hugh's Parish Center for monthly group sessions for women. They have educated these women in areas of personal safety, human trafficking, immigration, human development, leadership training, and their rights in employment situations."
Aligning with the mission of the Daughters of Wisdom, SEPA Mujer encourages and supports the development of the community's most vulnerable poor Latina women so that they can follow their path to becoming thriving survivors and leaders.
For more information about SEPA Mujer, please visit: https://www.sepamujer.org/
Thanks to SEPA Mujer for sharing the photos.