Rep. Salud Carbajal recognized San Luis Obispo resident Sister Theresa Harpin on Wednesday as one of the recipients of the Congressional Women of the Year Award.
At a ceremony in San Luis Obispo, Carbajal presented Harpin with a special congressional pin and read the written tribute to her he entered into the official Congressional Record.
The Congressional Women of the Year Award honors six women across the 24th Congressional District who are leaving a positive impact on their communities.
Harpin is the founder of the non-profit Restorative Partners, which provides re-entry services to the incarcerated.
The non-profit offers outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, mentorship programs, vocational training programs, and five recovery homes.
"I'm really blown away but I'm so elated that women are lifted up - the accomplishments they make often behind the scenes, quietly in the corners but always on the margins with people that need, that we need to be aware of and I stand on the shoulders of so many women who've come before me and so I am honored and blessed to one among them," Harpin said.
Under Harpin's leadership, the program has provided more than 250 volunteers to jail programs.
The other winners of the 2021 Women of the Year Award are Yessenia Echevarria of Paso Robles, Courtney Haile of San Luis Obispo, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle of Santa Barbara, Arcelia Sencion of Los Olivos, and Silvia Uribe of Goleta.
