Women Aware of Siouxland

10/24/2026

Seeing this post from the Civil Rights icon Delores Huerta really brought memories of Barb Wingert to mind.

More than one of us at Women Aware believes with absolute certainty that if Barb had gotten the opportunity to call up the Pope, she would have found a way to bend his ear for a minute. She would also ensure that he could encourage people to "choose community and choose compassion" like Dolores Huerta. Barb is probably up in heaven, working on getting a direct line to the Pope, as well as members of the Siouxland Community to ensure her work is still being done.

Barb was such a force to recon with, whether you were trying to tell her you can't do something (she believed with absolute certainty you could), if you were a local or state legislator, or one of any number of agency employees. She never worked against you. But she knew what she needed you to do in order to work with her to accomplish a goal.

Barb is still finding ways into our hearts, our mind, and our office (get out of Carter's laptop, Barb! We have deadlines!).

Tonight, we remind you that ¡Sí se puede! You can do it!

As we enter the darker, colder months of the year, we know that the need in Siouxland will continue to grow. We will soon wind up the remaining two weeks of our insugural year of School of Hard Knocks. We will continue planning Women of Excellence (mark your calendars for March 19, 2027). We will continue to see clients, free of charge, and working to remember to always choose compassion and community.

Since we are still 100% privately funded, we need your help now more than ever. We are called to continue the work of Women Aware, serving women AND MEN in our community each day. But we can only continue to show up every day for them if our community can show up for us.

• We do not get state or federal grants.
• We are not funded by United Way.
• We do not have deep pockets.
• We cannot continue to provide our services if we lose our community funded support.

How can you help?
☆ Join the 1% Club. If 1% of Siouxland committed to send us $20 a month for a year, our year would be funded. WE ONLY OPERATE ON ABOUT $130K ANNUAL BUDGET for all of the services provided.
☆ Purchase Ads in the Women of Excellence Event Program
☆ Sponsor Women of Excellence
☆ Put us in your will!
☆ Invite us to your churches or other speaking events. You will be amazed at the amount we can do on the tiniest of budgets.
☆ Join our Board of Directors! We have a working board that does SO MUCH to support Women Aware
☆ Volunteer or Intern in our Office for free. We love when people are able to donate their time to our organization.
☆ Apply for any open AARP position, which is grant funded through AARP to pay people to learn about a lot of what we need to do day-to-day
Or you can always just send us your money.

We can't afford to be picky. We have huge dreams and so many plans for expansion- all of which require us to have a stable annual income before we can reach even further towards our growth plans. Help us take Women Aware to the next level. See how much we can do when the community rallies together. We believe in you, just as we know you believe in us!

Last July, our founder Dolores Huerta met with his Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. It was a profound moment affirming a shared call to unity, human dignity, and social justice. 

In a time of growing division and escalated aggression against our community, we are called to act with hope in the belief that what seems unachievable can be accomplished. *¡Sí, se puede!* is not just a slogan, but it is an internal awakening of individual and collective power. 

Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s call to “choose community and choose compassion,” we are reminded that we are not powerless when we stand together. Service to others enriches the individual and makes communities stronger and together, we build a more hopeful and liberated world.

10/21/2026

In honor of Invisible Disabilities Week, we want to tell you that we see you, we hear you, and we understand. Some of our board/staff/volunteers are among the invisible alongside you. We understand the need to accommodate ourselves in our daily lives and the need to plan out energy expenditures. We understand the cost of pushing through. We see you. You are not alone.

October 18–24 is Invisible Disabilities Week.

Not every disability is visible. Some people live with chronic illness, chronic pain, fatigue, neurological conditions, and other disabilities that may not be obvious to the people around them.

Invisible Disabilities Week is an opportunity to raise awareness, challenge assumptions, and help people understand that you cannot determine someone’s health, abilities, or struggles by looking at them.

Someone may look fine and still be managing pain, brain fog, exhaustion, or symptoms that affect every part of their day. They may be working hard to do things that others take for granted, or using every bit of energy they have just to get through the day.

And because their disability isn’t always visible, they may also have to explain themselves, justify their limitations, or deal with the assumption that they’re doing better than they really are.

This week is about making space for those experiences. It’s about listening without judgment, believing people when they tell you what they’re going through, and remembering that looking healthy isn’t the same as being healthy.

You don’t have to see someone’s disability to respect its impact.

If you’ve ever been told you look fine… you belong here. 🤍

10/20/2026

It's a new week and a new !

As we complete Weeks 9 and 10 of the Women Aware School of Hard Knocks, we covered vital topics of Mental Health, Co-Dependency, Addiction, and how trauma affects and weaves itself so easily in between these topics.

Thank you to Amy from Family Healthcare of Siouxland, Margarita from Safe Place and Holly from Jackson Rosecrance for your insight and information regarding these topics.

If you are struggling to find help, please reach out to any of these three resources to see what services they have available.

You are not alone.

10/13/2026

Today, we acknowledge the resilience, strength, and accomplishments of the people who came first. Like a strong willow tree, they maintained deep roots and community, even in the face of resistence and tragedy. Their culture, traditions, language, and spirit have remained resilient and adaptive.
Please take time to reflect on all they have endured, how they have overcome, and the work they still do today to keep our land and community safe.

10/13/2026

We know this very well, sometimes you have plans and instead you just have to show up for people.

Constantly, this happens eith our clients, where we think we have time to catch up on paperwork or attend a training, but you are called to show up for someone instead. That's one of the great things about Women Aware- whenever and however we can for someone, we show up.

Even if that means rescuing a colleague and teaming up with a manager to hold up tbe hood, pour the fluid, and hold the flashlight while attempting to block the wind outside!

Sometimes, plans change and you can just be there to have a hand up, holding the hood or pouring the coolant, or using the flashlight to check the fluid level.

Help us show up by joining the 1% Club. Help us keep doing good in Siouxland.

10/12/2026

October is a powerful month with many intense reasons to honor survivors, grieve loss, and support one another.

Pregnancy and infant loss is another important consideration this month. We are thinking of you and holding space for each person impacted by this common but rarely discussed experience.

💗💗💗💗💗

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

One of the hardest parts of grieving a pregnancy or infant loss is the overwhelming feeling of being completely "lost" and alone. We want you to know that there is a community here for you.

We are incredibly honored to partner with , a beautiful organization dedicated to supporting families experiencing infant and pregnancy loss. Through our sponsorship of their local Mom’s Groups, our goal is simple: to help provide a safe, comforting space where mothers can connect, share their stories, and heal together.

If you or someone you love is navigating this grief, please look into their incredible community. You are not alone. ✨

Learn more about their mission and upcoming meet-ups here: https://www.facebook.com/thereisnofoottoosmall

10/11/2026

We can and often help develop a plan and connect resources.

Victims of all types of abuse are already stigmatized for the experiences they endure. We aren't here to judge. Just to help make the plan so our clients can feel empowered to leave.

10/09/2026

The intersection of homelessness, mental health, and domestic violence has an immense amount of overlap. It doesn't really matter which situation came first- and it doesn't change a person's value if they are experiencing any level of these common hardships.

Survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse often face mental health struggles and safe housing challenges in the aftermath of these traumatic events. Today, on World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Day, we’re talking about why those connections matter.

Abuse can keep the body and brain in a constant survival mode that includes fear, anxiety, and high-pressure planning and decision-making. Survivors may also mask their struggles in front of their children, at work, or in other situations. Long-term effects like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are normal reactions to abnormal circumstances – they are not weaknesses.

Finding and maintaining housing can be difficult as well. Financial abuse like a lack of access to accounts and credit score damage can make it hard to secure a place to live. Some landlords evict victims in connection to disturbances or damage, and complex paperwork and privacy challenges can add to the stress.

If you or someone you know is struggling with safe housing access or mental health concerns, we see you, we believe you, and we’re here to help. That’s victim services. 💜
www.violencefreeiowa.org/thatsvictimservices