Wisdom Grant Fund

Historically the Daughters of Wisdom have always focused on major areas of injustice in our nation and worldwide, especially as they impact women, children, the marginalized, and the environment. With a long history of ministries in education, healthcare, social justice, environmental conservation, pastoral and spiritual care, the Daughters have gone from the early years of establishing institutions and staffing them to working in unison with dedicated partners, colleagues, and collaborators in local or state-wide organizations.

The Daughters of Wisdom’s Mission Grant Committee chaired by Sr. Lucy Clynes, DW, includes committee members Sr. Ann Gray, DW, Sr. Patricia Pelletier, DW, Sr. Marie Sopr, DW, and Sr. Edith Menengus, OSU. The Wisdom Grant Fund awards up to $15,000 and allows for two consecutive years of funding for ministries that are consistent with the objectives of addressing injustice, violence, poverty, and oppression, especially among women and children. Grants are awarded in the fall by the Provincial Council. To be eligible for grants, applicants must be working in ministry with a Sister or have the endorsement of a Daughter of Wisdom.

Established in October 2012

In October 2012 the Daughters of Wisdom Mission Grant was established at a Provincial Chapter meeting. Through a vote of the membership, it was decided that a yearly fund would be set aside and granted to applicants for projects that are consistent with the mission of the Daughters of Wisdom. Since then, grants have been awarded to a variety of compatible groups and organizations that provide community services that keep alive and continue the rich legacy of the Daughters' 300 years of mission in the United States and abroad. Past grants have been awarded to fund a home health care initiative, to educate adolescent girls about human trafficking, to run a parent/child learning program for families experiencing difficult socio-economic situations, to support a day drop-in center that provides a safe place that supports and empowers women, to an organization that works for more just immigration policies, and to seed the development of independent businesses started by women in an effort to work their way out of poverty.

2024 Grant Fund Suspended

In 2024, the Daughters of Wisdom in the United States will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the United States Province. The Delegation Leadership Team will donate to the International Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom for the education of Sisters and the worldwide mission. A donation will also be made to Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center in Litchfield, CT, to continue the Daughters of Wisdom mission in the United States. Therefore, applications for Wisdom Grants will be suspended for 2024 and reopen in 2025.

WHAT TO KNOW FOR 2025
Applying for a Daughters of Wisdom Grant is a two-step process consisting of a pre-grant application followed by a formal grant application.

Typically the Pre-Application Period opens on April 1st and closes on May 15th. The Grant Fund Committee invites final applicants to submit a formal grant application from these proposals. Formal grant applications are due May 15th - June 1.

The Wisdom Grant Fund awards up to $15,000 and allows for two consecutive years of funding for collaborative ministries that address injustice, violence, poverty, and oppression, especially among women and children. Grants are awarded in the fall by the Provincial Council. To be eligible, applicants must work in ministry with a Sister or have the endorsement of a Daughter of Wisdom.

2023 Wisdom Grants Awarded

Continuing the Daughters of Wisdom mission to address injustice, especially as it impacts women, children, the marginalized, and the environment, the Wisdom Grant Fund Committee met over the summer to review and discuss their recommendations to the Leadership Council for selecting the 2023 Grant Recipients. 

Sr. Lucy Clynes, D.W., chair of the committee, said that after thorough research and discussion, the committee members came to a consensus on whom to recommend for the awards. The Council then made the final decision and informed the selected recipients by letter. "More sisters have gotten involved in recommending parish groups that align with the Daughters of Wisdom mission. And, what's exciting is that so many of them are foundational parishes or places of the Daughters of Wisdom," said Sr. Lucy. For example, Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW, recommended Friendly Hands Food Pantry in Litchfield, Connecticut, and Sr. Jackie Ayotte, DW, recommended a parish outreach program, the Christian Life Center in Maine. All sisters residing at Huntington Station recommended SEPA Mujer, Inc. in Huntington Station, which supports immigrant women. Sr. Irene Arsenault, DW, endorsed Infant Jesus Food Pantry in Port Jefferson (a founding parish for the Daughters of Wisdom). Maryhaven, a school for special needs children, is another grant recipient in Port Jefferson that the Daughters of Wisdom also founded. Sr. Cathy Sheehan, DW, our Delegation Leader, also a nurse, endorsed RotaCare, which helps people who have fallen through the cracks to obtain the healthcare they need. Sr. Marie Chiodo, DW, endorsed the St. Camillus Peace, Justice, and Integrity of Creation in Silver Springs, Maryland, her home parish. Below is the complete list of 2023 grant recipients. 

• St. Camillus Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Intercultural Committee, Silver Spring, MD

• Infant Jesus Food Pantry, Port Jefferson, NY

• Friendly Hands Food Bank, Torrington, CT

• St. Gerard Majella Outreach Ministry, Port Jefferson Station, NY

• Harmony Healthcare, Long Island, NY

• Maryhaven, Port Jefferson, NY

• Christian Life Center, Frenchville, ME

• SEPA Mujer, Inc., Huntington Station, NY

• Book Fairies, Freeport, NY

• RotaCare, NY, Hempstead, NY

 Sr. Lucy noted that the Wisdom Grant Fund awards up to $15,000 for up to two consecutive years of funding for collaborative ministries consistent with the mission of addressing injustice, violence, poverty, and oppression, especially among women and children. To be eligible, applicants must work in ministry with a Sister or have the endorsement of a Daughter of Wisdom. Congratulations to this year's recipients, and may God's blessing be upon you and all you serve.

$15,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to the St. Camillus Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Intercultural Committee: The Daughters of Wisdom has awarded a $15,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to the St. Camillus Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Intercultural Committee of St Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, MD. The Committee is an all-volunteer effort of parishioners to implement Catholic social teaching within their parish and broader community. Their ministries align with the Daughters of Wisdom's mission to address injustice, especially as it impacts women, children, the marginalized, and the environment. 

As an intercultural parish with many parishioners who have recently immigrated to the United States, St. Camillus strongly supports newcomers to this country. Those have included persons of all ages from Haiti, African countries, Central America, and South America. Their past immigrant support activities include hosting legal clinics, organizing rides to immigration court proceedings, and supporting the parish staff in mobilizing community resources to respond to individual medical, housing, and other needs as they arise.  

This Wisdom Fund Grant will be allocated to provide vital services to new migrant people who are being bussed to the area from the southern U.S. border. The primary goal of the project is to help ensure that the immediate, urgent needs of new migrant arrivals are met with dignity and respect. $5,000 will facilitate access to basic needs, including housing, clothing, and food, while the migrant families seek sustainable ways to support themselves. $10,000 of the grant will go toward financial assistance to cover legal filing fees for the families' immigration cases. Immigration-related filing fees often exceed $1,000 for a family, depending on the quantity of documents needed and the number in the family. It is hoped that these funds will help at least ten families have a meaningful chance at presenting their cases for asylum, thus improving families' chances of being granted relief from deportation. The grant will also be used to continue to educate and engage parishioners on how they can welcome our recently arrived neighbors, including searching for housing, orienting people to use public transportation to courts and doctors, school enrollment, and other basic services in the area. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Awards $15,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to St. Camillus Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Intercultural Committee

$5,000 Grant from the Daughters of Wisdom Grant Fund to Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington, Connecticut: A $5,000 grant from the Daughters of Wisdom Grant Fund to Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington, Connecticut, is helping to support the organization's efforts to feed hungry people in that local area.   

The Friendly Hands Food Bank provides food to families, seniors, and individuals facing food insecurity in Northwest, CT. As the largest food bank in northwestern Connecticut, this organization serves over 40,000 meals per month out of a modest facility in Torrington, Connecticut. They receive no federal, state, or local funds and rely on the generosity of donors, grants, businesses and individuals to fund their mission. Their clientele has grown tremendously due to increased need; pre-pandemic in 2020 they served 300 clients. Post-pandemic they are currently serving over 5,000 families with a rise of three to seven new families each weekday. The grant from the Daughters of Wisdom was used to purchase three main staple food items for clients: tuna fish, peanut butter, and jelly, which were bought in mass quantities. These items are placed into clients’ core food boxes that are given out to them to supplement their groceries. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $5,000 Grant to Friendly Hands Food Bank. 

$5,000 Grant to St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church Outreach Ministry: The Daughters of Wisdom have awarded a $5000 grant to St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church Outreach Ministry to support the educational component of this ministry to those most in need. Located in Port Jefferson Station, this outreach has been helping needy families in an ever-increasing, low-income population, extending into the towns of Selden, Centereach, Coram, and beyond.  

Before the pandemic, the outreach was helping 80 to 90 families per month, but post-pandemic, they serve 200 to 250 families, providing food, clothing, and other essentials to families and individuals.  

The grant will bolster this support by providing community educational classes for the outreach clients, including parenting classes, budgeting programs, classes on mental health strategies, and career counseling. “This is a safe environment for them, to be in a church setting, so they’ll feel more comfortable to ask certain questions. So that maybe eventually, they might not need the food pantry. But if they’re not given the tools, then they won’t be able to get out of certain situations that they’re in,” said Jennifer Donnellon, Office Manager/Outreach Coordinator. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $5,000 Grant to St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church Outreach Ministry

$7,500 Wisdom Fund Grant to Harmony Health Care of Long Island (HHLI): The Daughters of Wisdom has awarded a $7,500 Wisdom Fund Grant to Harmony Health Care of Long Island (HHLI) to support its Perinatal & Infant Community Health Collaborative (PICHC), specifically with baby care boxes for expectant mothers. Within Nassau County, HHLI assists women with care for their newborn babies and works to reduce infant mortality rates. With health centers in Hempstead, Elmont, Westbury, Freeport, Oceanside, and Roosevelt, HHLI provides quality, affordable health care to everyone in the community, regardless of health insurance or ability to pay. 

On December 12, the PICHC Program distributed the first set of baby care boxes, known as Baby Bundles, to expectant mothers with the help of donations from Daughters of Wisdom and Baby Essentials of Long Island- BELI. Harmony Healthcare’s clients were gifted a bathtub, diapers, clothing, a pack-and-play and other baby essentials to welcome their bundles of joy.  

“This is one small effort to help improve the health of new moms and their babies and help them be on a safer journey. We take care of thousands of people here every year, and about 500 women give birth in our care. This is just a way for us to start. Thanks to the donation from The Daughters of Wisdom, we are going to keep this going for as long as we can,” said David Nemiroff, LCSW, President & CEO of Harmony Healthcare, during the event presenting the baby care boxes. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $7,500 Grant to Harmony Healthcare of Long Island

$15,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to Maryhaven in Port Jefferson, NY: The Daughters of Wisdom have awarded a $15,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to Maryhaven in Port Jefferson, NY, to help expand the reach of its Food Pantry Program. The mission of Maryhaven is to enrich the lives of people with special needs through support with compassion in its residential, day habilitation, and vocational services while promoting individuality and integration.  

The grant was endorsed by Sr. Cathy Sheehan, D.W., Delegation Leader, who wrote in her letter of recommendation, "Maryhaven, founded by the Daughters of Wisdom, has been serving the Long Island community for the past 94 years. This grant is targeted toward helping people on Long Island who struggle with food insecurity through Maryhaven's Food Pantry Program. This is a true example of people helping people." She added, "This program addresses the need by working with Maryhaven client volunteers, which in turn increases self-esteem by facilitating their contributions. It also works in conjunction with local food hubs, independent farms, growers, and retail markets. Mayhaven's own hydroponic garden program is an innovative and helpful resource, too."

The Wisdom Fund Grant will allow all existing Programs Without Walls participants to expand their volunteer work in Maryhaven's Food Pantry to reach more hungry people, as the number of people suffering from food insecurity has risen on Long Island. Specifically, the grant will allow program participants, in conjunction with food pantry staff, to work with local food hubs to access fresh food through independent farms, growers, and retail markets, including Maryhaven's hydroponic garden program, and increase the distribution of food to people with disabilities in a socially acceptable way. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $15,000 Grant to Maryhaven

Daughters of Wisdom Award $10,000 Grant to Christian Life Center:  The Daughters of Wisdom have awarded a $10,000 grant to the Christian Life Center in Frenchville, Maine. The Christian Life Center is a place of Spiritual Nourishment for people of all ages. It provides an enriching environment that allows the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of all who enter its doors. The Center feeds the minds and hearts of people with the Word of God, offering the tools they need for ministry in the Church, inspired by the life of Christ. The Wisdom Fund Grant will be utilized for materials ($7,000) and staffing ($3,000). The grant supports equipment and materials for new programs, expanding and enhancing current ministry programs, and wages for new staff.  

The grant from the Daughters of Wisdom will support 28 weekly, monthly, and daily opportunities to enrich, educate, and counsel individuals to live in the likeness of God. This grant was endorsed by Sister Jacqueline Ayotte, D.W., who wrote in her letter of recommendation, "The people attending the programs at CLC are really seeking to live a deeper spiritual life. This is being accomplished by having Fr. Alex Antony, a missionary from India, to minister at the Center. Fr. Alex served in our parish cluster. He is a missionary dedicated, creative, and compassionate, committed to serving God's people with love and devotion, and inspires a new understanding of Jesus and His mother, Mary." 

This grant comes at a crucial time for the Center, as it just reopened after two years of being closed due to the COVID pandemic. Father Antony Alexander Maria Doss, Director of the Christian Life Center, wrote in the grant application, "The Christian Life Center has served hundreds of people each year with many different spiritual, social, and cultural activities, like Cursillo Retreats, Men's ACTS Retreats, Women's ACTS Retreats, Teens ACTS Retreats, K of C Retreats, Marriage Preparation Retreats, Weekend Retreats, Family Retreats, Altar Server Retreats and more..." He added, "Even though CLC was closed over two years, we did not stop reaching out to the community to support them in their spiritual needs. The Christian Life Center started reaching out to people through Facebook and YouTube to support their spiritual needs by providing online Masses, daily Gospel reflections and Lenten Reflections, etc." 

This grant continues the Daughters of Wisdom mission in northern Maine while also serving people in the broader community of Aroostook County in the Portland Diocese. The Daughters of Wisdom first came to the United States in St. Agatha in 1904 as missionaries serving in northern Maine. Their service has continued in different forms, and ministering to people has always remained the focus. The Center's building was established in 1936 as a Convent. The Sisters worked at area schools, instructing youth and sharing the Word of God. In 1973, the building became home to the Christian Life Center, and for more than 50 years, it has served as a place where people experience conversion and spiritual enlightenment. 

The Center offers the following opportunities for individuals to receive spiritual nourishment that includes weekly Mass, a Book Reading Club, Adult Faith Formation, Bible Study, Knitting and Blanket-making Prayer Shawls Ministry, Young Adult Catechism, Reflections on YouTube, Facebook, and the Center's website; monthly Faith Movie Night, Bereavement Group, ACTS Reunions for Men, Women, and Teens, Pray and Paint program, and Cultural Food Tasting and Sharing, and Time for Adoration and Reconciliation. There are also many Retreats, including those for Advent, Lent, Marriage, Divorce Care, Altar Servers, Women's Spirituality, Eucharistic Ministers, and College and High School students. Each event provides an opportunity for fifty participants and two to ten facilitators or spiritual leaders. The Center's staff includes clergy, religious, lay ministers, professionals, counselors, office support staff, and volunteers. 

Now that the Center has reopened, a focus is to continue reaching out to homebound people. The materials supported by the Wisdom Grant include brochures, leaflets, subscriptions to the Formed, a Catholic faith formation video streaming service, prayer cards, religious books, teaching instructional guides, copier supplies, and folders, as well as funds to pay new staff. Father Alex Antony expressed deep gratitude to the Daughters of Wisdom for supporting their efforts. "We sincerely thank you for supporting this Spiritual Center in providing us with the technical equipment which would support our ministry to better serve our community," he wrote, adding. "We as a Christian Life Center team are incredibly grateful to you...

Yours Sincerely in Christ Jesus, Fr. Antony Alexander Maria Doss." For more information on The Christian Life Center, please visit: https://clc4me.org/ 

Daughters of Wisdom Award $10,000 Grant to Christian Life Center

Daughters of Wisdom Award $15,000 to RotaCare

$15,000 was awarded to RotaCare, Inc. in Hempstead, NY, as one in ten grants awarded in 2023 through the Wisdom Grant Fund.

RotaCare is a 32-year-old organization that provides free primary medical care and medications to uninsured people without access to care and who are not eligible for federal, state, and local safety net programs. A rotating group of over 125 caring and committed volunteers, including Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Social Workers, and EKG Technicians, provide the care. The practitioners are supported by a variety of personnel, including translators.

Many of RotaCare's patient population are undocumented, have no or very limited access to medical care, and are unable to afford the cost of medications. The majority of patients are diabetic and require at least four to five medications on a lifetime basis. Sr. Catherine Sheehan, D.W., Delegation Leader of the Daughters of Wisdom, endorsed this grant and wrote in her letter of support, "It is my pleasure to endorse the grant application from RotaCare, Inc., in Hempstead, NY. Free clinics help to bridge the gap in health care coverage by caring for the uninsured. RotaCare, like most free clinics, depends on volunteer providers. RotaCare has provided necessary and high-quality care to clients for more than 30 years." Sr. Cathy added that since moving into a new and improved space, RotaCare now has rent to pay in addition to its other costs. She added, "Without RotaCare, the people of its catchment area would delay seeking care, leading to a lack of diagnosis and other treatment. Often, uninsured patients do not seek care or use emergency departments, increasing overall healthcare costs. RotaCare also benefits its clients by providing preventative care that positively impacts health outcomes."

This project aligns with the Daughters of Wisdom mission on many levels, primarily because RotaCare helps our community's most vulnerable access needed medical care and medication. In addition, the late Sr. Joan Klemballa, DW, Nurse Practitioner, was a volunteer provider at RotaCare and much admired by the staff. Sr. Joan impacted the lives of many who received her care.

Before becoming Delegation Leader in 2014, Sr. Catherine Sheehan was the Director of the AmeriCares Free Clinic of Bridgeport, CT.

Daughters of Wisdom Award $15,000 to RotaCare

Daughters of Wisdom Award $10,000 Grant to 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.

Daughters of Wisdom Award $3000 Wisdom Grant to Book Fairies

Promoting the love of reading and getting high-interest books into the hands of those who wouldn't otherwise have access to them have been primary objectives of Book Fairies since 2012, and in realizing those goals, over 3.8 million books have been distributed to date. With this latest $3000 Wisdom Grant endorsed by Sr. Marie Josee Seide, DW, the Daughters of Wisdom is proud to make this the third time partnering with Book Fairies to advance their cause of reaching out to children in low–income, under-resourced communities and providing the tools and foundation for academic success: books.  

The grant will help fund the Book Fairies' Director of Programs salary, a position they deem essential to their success. The central role of this position is to gather information from partnering schools and organizations regarding what books are most needed and coordinate book sourcing and sorting. 

The undertaking of collecting and redistributing books has grown from serving Long Island and New York City schools, libraries, and individuals to include international partnerships. 

The organization does its homework by researching community needs and collaborating with its members to provide them with high-interest and current books necessary to increase literacy rates. They also host a monthly book fair, inviting educators to choose books they need or want for their classroom, library, or individual students. As many as 20,000 books are distributed at these events. 

Another component of their operation is to supply, maintain, and refresh bookshelves in public sites such as health centers, parks, railroad stations, grocery stores, doctors' offices, school childcare programs, transitional housing, soup kitchens, women's shelters, and community centers, and to organizations working with individuals in the correctional system.

In endorsing Book Fairies, Sr. Marie Josee said, "I call it a mission because watching them work and listening to the stories they shared about the recipients receiving the books and the positive influence it has on both their intellect and their vision for greater achievements in life, I feel the passion, dedication, and care they invest in making communities they serve socially healthier."

Daughters of Wisdom Award $3000 Wisdom Grant to Book Fairies

In 2024, the Daughters of Wisdom in the United States will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the United States Province. The Delegation Leadership Team will donate to the International Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom for the education of Sisters and the worldwide mission. A donation will also be made to Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center in Litchfield, CT, to continue the Daughters of Wisdom mission in the United States.

Editor’s Note: The remainder of our 2023 grant articles will be posted here as soon as they are published…Please enjoy the following slideshow of photos of our various grant recipients…Thank you!

2022 Mission Fund Grants Awarded

For 2022, the Daughters of Wisdom awarded Mission Grants funding 8 organizations to a total of $85,000. The recipients were: The Opening Word ($15,000), Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty ($15,000), Long Island Immigration Clinic ($15,000), De La Salle School ($5,000), Martin De Porres School ($10,000), Interspiritual Empowerment Project ($10,000), Book Fairies ($5,000), and ECLI Vibes ($10,000).

$15,000 Mission Grant to The Opening Word: The Opening Word is a literacy and job readiness program for adult immigrant women, the vast majority of whom live below the poverty line. The mission of The Opening Word is to unlock the language ability of these women, providing them with a key to future personal empowerment, increased civic and social responsibility, and enhanced skills for membership in the work force. Since the pandemic, this organization has broadened its mission to include assisting this already vulnerable population with decreasing hunger, addressing physical and mental health challenges, connecting students to technology for virtual learning and connections to local services, and including vaccine information and testing kits. During 2021-22 school year, The Opening Word held classes both in person and virtually during periods of increased infection in the community. Upon re-opening in the Fall for the 2022-2023 school year, classes are in-person, with COVID safety protocols in place. This is a second-year grant, and it was endorsed by the Daughters of Wisdom who reside in Huntington Station – Sr. Marilyn Soeder, Sr. Bernadette Sassone, Sr. Maria Jesus Pinedo Aguilar, and Sr. Marie Josee Seide. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Awards $15,000 Grant to The Opening Word Program for Immigrant Women

$15,000 Mission Grant to Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty: FADP is a Florida-based, state-wide organization of individuals and groups working together to end the death penalty in Florida. Their network includes dozens of state and local groups and thousands of individual Floridians, including murder victims’ family members and other survivors of violent crime, law enforcement professionals, families of the incarcerated, and death row exonerations. Using a coordinated, strategic, and empowerment-oriented approach, FADP works to build and mobilize public and political support for abolition. Their short-term objectives include reducing death sentences, opposing executions, and changing the statewide conversation about the death penalty by highlighting the tremendous support for abolition. They prioritize protecting the humanity of persons impacted by the death penalty and the criminal justice system and contributing to the national momentum for repeal. This is a second-year grant, and it was endorsed by Sr. Lucy Clynes, D.W. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $15,000 Grant to Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

$15,000 Mission Grant to the Long Island Immigration Clinic: The Long Island Immigration Clinic (LIIC) is a pro se clinic whose mission is to assist Long Island immigrants with their asylum cases. A ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood NY, LIIC is committed to be a welcoming presence to all undocumented immigrants who live on Long Island and are in need of support and services. This mission has a three-prong focus: 1) To assist these individuals in gaining legal status to remain in this country, 2) To educate them in their legal rights, and 3) To guide each person in becoming successful advocates on their own behalf in court proceedings, as well as the broader immigration forum and the communities in which they live. LIIC pledges to uphold these values: To cherish the dignity of each person, sharing mutual respect, non-judgment and compassionate support to one another– as immigrant friend, staff, volunteer, advisory board member, and all others they encounter in their work; To treat as sacred all information shared at the clinic with the utmost confidentiality; and To foster and build community among all with whom we share our mission. This is a second-year grant, and it was endorsed by Sr. Ann Gray, D.W., who also volunteers at the clinic. To read more, please view the following article: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Daughters of Wisdom Awards $15,000 Grant to Long Island Immigration Clinic (LIIC)

$5,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to the De La Salle School: The Daughters of Wisdom has awarded a $5,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to the De La Salle School, in Freeport, NY, in support of the school’s Extended Day Program. The De La Salle School is a Catholic Middle School in the Diocese of Rockville Center that shares in the Lasallian heritage and was founded to provide a quality education for young men from economically disadvantaged families. The school nurtures each student’s growth, spiritually, academically, socially, and physically, in collaboration with his parent(s) and guardian(s). There is an emphasis on respect, responsibility, leadership, and service. 

The Daughters of Wisdom Grant, by supporting the Extended Day Program, helps to ensure that young men can receive additional academic support after school, complete homework in a structured setting, have a healthy snack, and enjoy a recreational activity. This allows the young men to remain in a safe environment while their parents are still completing their workday. The students come to De La Salle School from surrounding towns, including Freeport, Uniondale, Hempstead, Roosevelt, and Elmont. For so many of these young men, this after-school program is crucial to keeping them out of potentially harmful situations that exist in unsupervised environments back in their home neighborhoods. To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Award $5,000 Wisdom Fund Grant to the De La Salle School.

$5,000 Mission Grant to the Book Fairies: The Book Fairies is a non-profit organization that sources and distributes books to under-resourced communities on Long Island and in New York City. Based in Freeport, NY, this organization’s mission is to provide equitable opportunities for children to learn, grow and thrive. The Book Fairies aims to increase children’s access to books and support their educational opportunities. By getting books into the hands of children who have no books at home, the organization strives to boost literacy and outcomes for children in low-income communities. This is achieved by distributing high-interest, age-appropriate books through book fairs and direct deliveries to schools and community organizations serving children who lack access to reading materials. This grant supports the organization’s Targeted School Communities program, which involves upcycling books and creating multi-year partnerships to respond more specifically to teachers’ expressed needs. Distribution methods include coordinating Free Book Fairs (where students self-select books to take home) and making customized deliveries to teachers, so that they can stock their classroom libraries and/or give books to individual students). To read more, please view the following article: Daughters of Wisdom Awards $5,000 Grant to the Book Fairies

$10,000 Mission Grant to Martin De Porres School for Exceptional Children: Martin De Porres School in Elmont, NY educates children who are experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges. This grant supports the Girls’ Groups at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The Girls’ Groups are dedicated to improving the self-esteem and confidence of participants and include activities and discussions on topics related to self-care, friendships, appropriate use of technology, respect for self and others, relationships, and more. For example, girls ages 7-15 have been making friendship bracelets, arts and crafts, including painting, and doing group work that helps build skills in frustration tolerance and conflict resolution. All of the materials for this are funded by the Daughters of Wisdom Grant. The grant also funds group projects by the high school girls in which they present information on breast cancer awareness during their lunch periods. This helps build communication skills and self-confidence. In addition, the grant funds a Tea Party event at the end of the school year, in which girls in 7th grade, 8th grade, and high school dress up and enjoy an elegant luncheon, which helps emphasize self-worth and self-care. To read more, please view the following article: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Daughters of Wisdom Awards $10,000 Grant to Martin De Porres School for Exceptional Children

2021 Mission Fund Grants Awarded

For the year 2021, the Daughters of Wisdom awarded a record number of Mission Grants funding 12 organizations to a total of $80,000. Congratulations to this year’s recipients: The Long Island Immigration Clinic ($10,000), Interspiritual Empowerment Project ($10,000), Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty ($10,000), Rota Care, Inc., ($7,500) Rethreaded, Inc., (7,500), Amirah, Inc., (7,500), Direct Support for Immigrants, Inc., ($7,000) St. Charles Hospital, ($5,000), The Opening Word, ($5,000), The De La Salle School, ($5,000), Martin De Porres School for Exceptional Children, ($2,750), and Hope House Ministries ($2,750).

10,000 Mission Grant to The Long Island Immigration Clinic: The Long Island Immigration Clinic is a brand-new program. Mission Grant money is being used to transform and furnish the space that once served as the Chapel of the Sisters of St. Joseph Novitiate building in Brentwood, NY. Once it is repurposed, it will become a clinic area with offices welcoming immigrants for assistance with asylum paperwork.  These services will be provided through specially trained teams and pro bono attorneys to oversee their work. Welcome events are underway this fall, with the launch of the clinic expected in early 2022. Sr. Janet Kinney, CSJ, who has over 30 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector of housing, homelessness, criminal justice, and immigration, will serve as the program director. This grant request was endorsed by Sr. Ann Gray, DW. 

$10,000 Mission Grant to the Interspiritual Empowerment Project: The Interspiritual Empowerment Project (IEP) was established in 2017 after twenty years of ongoing social justice work in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia as a nonprofit joint plan of work project of Virginia Organizing. The IEP engages and invites the community to create and implement collaborative social justice ministry opportunities in a more intentional way with the voices of those families most affected by issues of poverty, injustice, and oppression leading the way for change. IEP will put Mission Grant money to work on seven family initiatives vital in addressing social and environmental justice issues impacting women and children in the Hampton Roads, Virginia region. One initiative, "Open Table," prepares and pairs faith community participants to walk in relationship and solidarity through a year-long committed journey with families that have asked for the gift of a natural support system. These "Table" relationships offer participants resources that might help them realize their dreams for each family member to reach their fullest human potential. In the long-term, IEP aims to implement an ongoing faith support team to establish sustainability for this best-practiced family empowerment model in the Hampton Roads region. A second IEP initiative is the Legislative Collaborative Table, a twenty-six local nonpartisan advocacy group that works to pass Virginia's social and environmental justice legislation. A top priority issue on their agenda this year is to get legislation passed that will provide home buying reparation assistance funds to address the generational issue of excluding Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) from building wealth through housing investment opportunities.  Teresa Stanley, Coordinator of the Interspiritual Empowerment Project, will be organizing these efforts. This grant was endorsed by Sr. Margaret McCabe, DW, who has been a member of Tidewater Sowers of Justice of Virginia Beach for over twenty years and helps to coordinate one of its 15 groups, the Women's Issues Community. 

$10,000 Mission Grant to Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty: Endorsed by Sr. Lucy Clynes, DW, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, of Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $10,000 grant to expand and mobilize a coordinated, strategic, bipartisan, grassroots empowerment effort to end the death penalty in Florida. Short-term goals are stopping executions, reducing death sentences, and demonstrating the inevitable end of the death penalty. Building support for a 2023 repeal campaign, FADP is working with its partners in the mental health advocacy community to pass legislation in 2023 to protect people with serious mental illness from the death penalty. This effort will reduce the size of death row, expose the way the death penalty targets the most vulnerable, and shift the statewide conversation about the death penalty. To find out more, visit www.fadp.org. 

$7,500 Mission Grant to RotaCare, Inc.: For over thirty years, RotaCare has provided free primary healthcare and medications to the uninsured, underserved, immigrants, and marginalized residents of Nassau County and the surrounding communities on Long Island, NY. A dedicated group of over 125 rotating volunteer medical professionals and lay staff delivers this care. 

RotaCare will use grant money to support adult patients with diabetes and hypertension. The grant money will help with the ongoing need to purchase medications and medical supplies to continue the care of people with these chronic conditions.  

Over the past year and a half, due to COVID, RotaCare and their patients faced multiple challenges, especially with the fear of contracting COVID. However, access to medical care and medications continued through the pandemic lockdown all while maintaining a safe environment for patients and staff. When the time was right, they transitioned back to seeing patients in person. 

Grant Coordinator Blanche Puglisi of RotaCare says, "By continuing to provide medical care and medications, we endeavor to keep our patients healthy, while staving off the complications of untreated chronic disease, without the using emergency rooms for primary care." 

Sr. Catherine Sheehan, DW, endorsed this program. 

$7,500 Mission Grant to Rethreaded, Inc.: Since 2012, Rethreaded, founded by Kristin Keen, has partnered with the City Rescue Mission of Jacksonville, Florida. That's when they hired their first employee, a survivor of human trafficking. Rethreaded provides a safe, supportive work environment for survivors and provides a solid foundation for women to redirect their lives. It's a business that's in the business of restoring lives and enables women to earn money while learning a skill, developing a career, and experiencing continued healing through counseling and a supportive community. Survivors hired by Rethreaded earn income by getting involved in the business and making handcrafted products sold online and in a brick-and-mortar store in Jacksonville, Florida. Every purchase directly helps survivors with employment, counseling, and career development. Rethreaded also partners with similar organizations to provide survivor-made items that currently support the recovery of over 4,000 women worldwide. 

When we reached out to Rethreaded, they told us, "Support from the Daughters of Wisdom Mission grant will cover part of the cost of one Survivor's Holistic Apprenticeship Program. This program consists of a survivor's first six months of employment at Rethreaded and is a woman's most vulnerable time with us. If a survivor can make it through her Holistic Apprenticeship, her odds of success have greatly improved. Rethreaded has moved its next hiring class up to January 2022; the support of the Daughters of Wisdom Mission Grant has enabled Rethreaded to continue to hire survivors of human trafficking during these unprecedented times." Sr. Lucy Clynes, DW, endorsed this program. 

$7,500 Mission Grant to Amirah, Inc.: Endorsed by  Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW, Amirah, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing exit and aftercare opportunities to women who have survived commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. The grant money will be put toward their long-term residential recovery program in their Connecticut Safe Home. This program allows women the time and space needed to heal in all six aspects of personhood: vocational, emotional, physical, mental, social, and spiritual. This grant will directly support the spiritual recovery aspect of this program by connecting women with a spiritual mentor and providing the opportunity to explore the most challenging questions in the wake of their trauma. The goal of spiritual recovery is that women find some essence of peace in the aftermath and learn what true forgiveness means as they learn to forgive and have grace for themselves. Mary Speta, Chief Impact Officer, will coordinate this program for Amirah. 

$7,000 Mission Grant to Direct Support for Immigrants, Inc.: Direct Support for Immigrants, Inc. (DSI), established in 2017, is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization working with immigrants, primarily recent arrivals within the past two years, from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, residing in Maryland's Montgomery and Prince George's counties. DSI provides individualized services based on each immigrant's needs. Among DSI's efforts is the Legal Immigration Assistance Project, which supports immigrants with their asylum cases and other forms of relief. Asylum seekers are five times more likely to obtain asylum if they have legal counsel. Funding from the grant will enable DSI to facilitate consultations with immigration lawyers and provide financial assistance to help families with asylum cases, In addition, it will pay the initial fee required to hire a qualified, bilingual immigration attorney. This program coordinated by John Blount, President of DSI, and was endorsed by Sr. Marie Chiodo, DW. 

$5,000 Mission Grant to St. Charles Hospital: When we reached out to St. Charles Hospital to ask about how they were using Mission Grant money, this is what they wrote:  

“THANK YOU TO THE DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF ST. CHARLES HOSPITAL’S CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY WITHDRAWAL AND REHABILITATION PATIENTS. 

St. Charles is one of the only hospitals on Long Island to offer Chemical Dependency Programs and Services on an inpatient basis. Many of the 3,000 patients per year who come through the Hospital’s Withdrawal & Stabilization and Rehabilitation programs are financially disadvantaged, residing in unstable relationships and living situations, and are only able to receive treatment with the help of Medicaid or Medicare. This cohort of patients is by far the Hospital’s most underserved and underinsured population.  

With grant support from Daughters of Wisdom in 2021, the Hospital’s inpatient chemical dependency populations will receive The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics & Narcotics Anonymous (NA/AA) – “The Big Book.” This book is important literature that is rooted in spirituality and the belief in God or a higher power. This book is utilized daily by people suffering from substance use disorder and is one of the most important requirements for incorporating the AA and NA programs into everyday life.  The Hospital is donating these books received with grant funding from the Daughters of Wisdom to patients who are not financially able to purchase it for themselves upon discharge from the Unit.   

In 2019 and 2020, the Daughters of Wisdom provided Big Books to 1,400 patients along with 135 Daily Reflection books.”  

This year’s grant was endorsed by Sr. Ann Gray, DW.  

Claire Olsen, Program Director, Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation and Withdrawal and Stabilization Units, said, “We are so grateful to the Daughters of Wisdom for helping our patients who would not be able to financially manage purchasing these books for themselves. They are a crucial part of recovery especially at an early stage when they are admitted to St. Charles.” 

$5,000 Grant to The Opening Word: The Daughters of Wisdom grant to The Opening Word has allowed the program to sustain teachers and integrate the career development curriculum into daily instruction. This program supports women in developing skills needed for the workforce, including mathematics, computer, communications, customer service and more. Students work with their classroom teacher, and the student to teacher ratio is low – 8:1.  

The grant has also allowed for expanded hours for the program’s Case Manager, who meets individually and in small groups with students each week, providing much needed information related to health, financial literacy and social-emotional wellness. The Case Manager makes referrals to local organizations as needed, and brings professionals to Opening Word to facilitate workshops on topics related to wellness. The first workshop to be held this school year will inform women about early detection of breast cancer as well as provide facts related to the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines. 

“The support from the Daughters of Wisdom has allowed us to keep two very integral parts of our program intact despite the financial effects of the pandemic: the career development program and the individualized Case Management support,” said Gillian Kessinger, Executive Director of The Opening Word. 

 The Opening Word is a literacy, ESOL, and job readiness program; the purpose of which is to unlock the language ability of adult participants, providing them with a key to future personal empowerment, increased civic and social responsibility and enhanced skills for membership in the workforce. The program is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville. 

$5,000 Mission Grant to De La Salle School: The De La Salle School is a private Catholic Lasallian school in Freeport, N.Y., providing education to young men from economically challenged circumstances, many of whom are children of immigrants. Mission grant money will support the school’s Extended Day Program, an after-school opportunity that offers students help with their classwork through the guidance of volunteer faculty and former De La Salle graduates in a supervised environment. Both students and alumni benefit from this mentoring, as they share their everyday experiences and accomplishments. 

With this program, working parents have a safe and educationally nurturing after-school place for their children; and the De La Salle school has seen an increase in test scores and acceptance into Catholic High Schools. This program is coordinated by Williams Gault, Executive Director, and was endorsed by Sr. Evelyn Lamoureux, DW. 

$2,750 to Hope House Ministries: Siena House, a Program of Hope House Ministries, Port Jefferson, NY, serves eight women annually, 21 years and older, who have suffered from domestic violence, are homeless, need temporary shelter, or are in crisis or transition.  This program offers a safe, supportive environment while empowering women to move toward independent living and permanent housing.  Services include personal and group counseling, residential housing, economic opportunities and financial stability, food and clothing, and court advocacy.  Siena House provides a positive community living experience where all tenants are empowered to live productive lives contributing to society. 

The grant will fund a portion of the program director's salary, who will work with residents to reach their self-sufficiency goals as established in case plans at intake. Each resident must be in counseling while in residence, attend regular house meetings, reconnect with children and family when appropriate, cook for themselves, and most importantly, set money aside every month as a way of preparing for their return to society. The latter is deemed crucial in a resident's efforts to become independent again. 

Throughout the past year, Siena House provided long-term transitional housing and supportive services to eight women and assisted an additional 50 women through referrals. The program realized a 75% success rate in transitioning women in crisis to independence.  

Sr. Catherine Sheehan, DW, endorsed this program. 

 $2,750 Grant to Martin de Porres School for Exceptional Children: The grant to Martin de Porres School is being utilized to support the high school’s Girls Group for young women ages 13-21 who have suffered severe emotional trauma. This group meets regularly to provide activities that boost self-esteem and confidence. "Our students really benefit from confidence-building and empowerment skills, so the grant is really being put to good use for this. It's benefitting a really vulnerable population, because they are victims of trauma," said Nelson Tung, Chief of Clinical Operations.

For example, the Girls Group has an annual tea party. Tea party snacks are purchased, and the students get dressed up, which is a great confidence booster. "It really is a confidence builder for kids who are in need," added Nelson.

Thea Alleyne-Murray, Family Engagement Coordinator for Martin de Porres School, noted that that the girls group encourages self-care, with the vision that all girls and women experience equality, independence, and safety in their everyday lives. “Our goal is to prepare the young women with the skills to take action and ownership in their lives,” she writes in a description of the program. “We want to give our teens the opportunity to express themselves, and for them to know that the sky is the limit for each of them.”

In addition to meeting weekly, the Girls Group offers monthly workshops for the young women. The series of workshops focuses on self-awareness, including nurturing your social support system, honoring your emotional needs, managing stress, loving yourself, and creating a self-care plan. Workshops have included Paint & Chat, Vision Boards, Breast Cancer Awareness, Valentine’s Day luncheon, and Annual Tea Party.

The Martin de Porres School was founded in 1972. The Elementary/Junior High School provides an educational program that, along with academics, has a highly structured and supportive behavioral management program. Besides its dedicated administrators, the MDP Elementary/Junior High School has a dedicated staff of experienced and enthusiastic teachers, assistant teachers, social workers, guidance counselors and occupational/physical therapists. They provide every student with the opportunity to grow and develop to their fullest. For 42 years, MDP Elementary/Junior High School has helped students to thrive and ultimately graduate and attend high school, either at Martin De Porres or returning to a public school.

2020 Mission Fund Grants Awarded

Three organizations were unanimously endorsed by the Daughters of Wisdom's grant committee this year. They are Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital Foundation of Norfolk, Virginia, Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants, in Chicago, Illinois, and RotaCare, Inc. in Uniondale, NY. All three organizations provide critical public services consistent with the mission of the Daughters of Wisdom. This year's grant money will cover a broad range of services. Those include programs that provide prevention education on human trafficking, child sexual abuse, youth empowerment, delivering medical care and medications for the uninsured, and supporting housing, food, and clothing for detained immigrants awaiting asylum hearings.

Endorsed by Sr. Grace Malonzo, DW of Portsmouth, Virginia, the Mission grant will support Bon Secours Hampton Roads' Family Focus program by providing educational prevention seminars on human trafficking, child sexual abuse, and youth empowerment throughout one of Virginia's human trafficking hotspots, the Hampton Roads area. This new program offers a series of sessions geared towards parents, teachers, and youth. Topics include internet safety, warning signs of online predators, four types of trafficking, facts about child sexual abuse, strategies to protect children from sexual abuse, dealing with peer-pressure, effective communication, and anger management.

Endorsed by Sr. Lucy Clynes, DW of Jacksonville, Florida, the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants in Chicago, Illinois, will use their grant to support its newest program, the Chicago Immigrant Transit Assistance (CITA) program. CITA assists immigrant families as they travel through Chicago to stay with family or friends while awaiting their hearing in the immigration court system. Staffed by seventy trained ICDI volunteers, families arriving at Chicago's busy bus terminal are met by ICDI volunteers and provided with their most immediate needs. They are equipped with climate-appropriate clothing, food, toiletries, and a phone. ICDI leases lockers by the terminal to store supplies. Last year, CITA assisted 1,131 individuals, including 505 men, 251 women, 333 children, and 42 infants.

For 28 years, RotaCare, Inc., in Uniondale, New York, has provided free primary health care and medications to about 800 people in Nassau County and surrounding communities, most of whom have chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Endorsed by Sr. Catherine Sheehan, the grant money will help continue free medical care and medications covering a wide variety of medical needs for people who have no access to care and are ineligible for governmental programs. They include those who are uninsured and have no access to care, and for those who are ineligible for governmental programs. A rotating group of over 125 Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Social Workers, EKG technicians, and support staff make up the volunteer workforce.  Before her passing, Sr. Joan Klemballa, DW, Ph.D., RN, FNP-PC was a 5-year volunteer, and Provincial, Sr. Catherine Sheehan, DW, MPH has also volunteered with RotaCare.

Daughters of Wisdom Award $100,000 in 2019 Mission Fund Grants

Daughters of Wisdom, US Province, is pleased to announce this year’s Wisdom Grant recipients, which total $100,000. These grants support programs such as training and opportunities for victims of abuse and human trafficking, outreach to the poor and neglected, alternatives to the death penalty, treatment for people suffering from addiction, art therapy, and childcare and education for disadvantaged youth.  

This year, nine organizations will benefit from the Wisdom Grant. Recipients include: Virginians For Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP) of Richmond, Virginia; the Opening Word Program of  Wyandanch, NY; The Mary & Elizabeth Center of Oceanside, NY; Sophia’s House at The Center for Wisdom’s Women in Lewiston, ME; Long Island Congregations Associations and Neighborhoods of Plainview, NY; Mother House New Haven’s MOSS program in Litchfield, CT; Rethreaded, Inc. of Jacksonville, FL; St. Charles Hospital, Port Jefferson, NY; and Hope House Ministries of Long Island, NY.