. . . it was all fear. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” –C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed An interesting phenomena when looking back to the early days of widowhood...
We know that the distance between hope and despair is different for everyone, and that access to a peer community is proven to shorten that distance.
We laugh, we cry, we talk, we listen, and we make space for widowed people to transform.
We treat the people we serve with compassion and recognize the innate dignity of every person who interacts with our organization.
We employ a broad definition of the word widow: If a person you planned to spend your life with died, and you consider yourself widowed, so do we.
We believe in the power of hope and the ability of every widowed person to recreate a life of meaning and purpose.
Soaring Spirits has one goal; to connect widowed people with each other.
AmaWaterways is a valued partner of Soaring Spirits International. We are grateful for the significant funding AmaWaterways provides to support SSI’s ongoing programs, and for the inspiration to keep dreaming of new opportunities that build resilience through travel, shared experience, and a commitment to building community. Visit our private landing page for details about the amazing travel experiences offered by AmaWaterways. Every booked trip includes a donation to Soaring Spirits!
Soaring Spirits is grateful for the incredible support of our corporate and community sponsors. Our work is fueled by their generosity.
Camp Widow® is a unique and incredible experience. This innovative program provides practical tools and research-informed resources for widowed persons rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the death of a spouse or partner. We offer both weekend-long and one-day events across the United States and in a variety of International locations. Blending three event styles - a conference format, an inspiring retreat, and a reunion with great friends - Camp Widow is open to anyone who has experienced the death of the person with whom they planned to spend the rest of their lives (legally married or not), and provides an in-person widowed community of peers who are making their way through widowhood one day at a time. Learn more here.
We are grateful for the allies who join us in ensuring that Soaring Spirits programs are available for all widowed people. Soaring Spirits’ Widowed Community Ally Program provides professionals with tools, training and resources to help them compassionately and effectively serve their widowed clients while positioning them and equipping them to be trusted business partners for widowed people. Learn more
Imagine finding a blog that gives voice to the pain you are living in, words you've thought, but never shared. We've amassed a library that includes thousands of posts written by widowed people that normalize the sometimes crazy process of grief and loss. Our blogs are searchable and will lead you to specific topics, questions or to your favorite author.
. . . it was all fear. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” –C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed An interesting phenomena when looking back to the early days of widowhood...
June was Pride Month AND Filipino Heritage Month, and is always my busiest month as a result. I am greatly involved in organizing many of the activities, as well as participating in those I have no...
I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and sound holiday weekend during the Fourth of July celebrations that are inevitably ocurring in all corners of the United States. I like to think of the First of...
4th of July was arguably Mario’s favorite holiday. It was not his favorite due to any sort of patriotic leanings. It was his favorite because it was a giant party. Years before we lived in an...
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of Lee’s death. Not a day passes, nor many moments, when she is out of mind. My memories of Lee –even the sad ones- are part of her legacy. I sincerely...
Where am I headed? The word journey is a funny word. It seems to speak of both time and distance. How far does one travel on the path of grief? Where exactly are we “going”? ...
And just like that, we say goodbye to June and hello to July. What a whirlwind of a month June was. I felt like I was holding on to the bumper of a car moving at 100 miles per hour. It was a month full...
A friend of mine was going through a box of college memorabilia today. She sent me so many pictures of us from that time in our lives. It’s weird to look back on myself now. That young goofy girl...
Last Monday, CAMP WIDOW a Documentary, aired via PBS/Independent Lens. It’s a short form documentary that packs a depth of emotion, a glimpse into the heart of an event that unites the widowed...
If you’ve been following along with me, I’m going through a situation with my mom right now (almost exactly a year after my dad passed away) where she came quite close to death. I’m...
At Soaring Spirits International (SSI), we believe that widowhood is a shared human experience, transcending boundaries of marital status, gender, sexual identity, and religious traditions. Our programs welcome and honor the diversity that grief brings, offering support to anyone who has experienced the death of their person.
We are committed to ensuring equitable access to our programs, recognizing that underserved populations face barriers in accessing grief support. Through active outreach and data collection, we work to remove these barriers systematically and consistently.
Inclusion is at the heart of our mission. We understand that mourning takes different forms across cultures and identities. With curiosity and cultural humility, we continually adapt and expand our resources to serve an ever broader and more diverse community of widowed individuals. We actively seek feedback from underrepresented communities to ensure our programs are relevant and inclusive.
Our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion is an ongoing journey. We regularly review and improve our efforts, staying connected with the evolving needs of our global community.
Our full statement and DEI action plan can be found by clicking this link.
People Reached
Regional Groups
Parenting Minor Children
Newly Widowed Packets Delivered Annually Free of Charge
Outreach Cards Delivered Annually Free of Charge
Feeling lost in the immediate aftermath of becoming widowed is common and daunting. We can help! These packets provide a practical checklist for the newly widowed, relevant program information, and a collection of supportive messages from one widowed person to another. Packets are mailed and are designed for those widowed less than six months.
Do you know someone who is widowed? Soaring Spirits’ You Are Not Alone cards are small folded business cards that contain all the information a widowed person would need to get connected with our widowed community. You Are Not Alone cards are free, easy to order, and small enough to carry in your purse or wallet. These little cards make a big difference.
Day or night, no matter where you are on the globe, we offer an online community featuring blog posts, group discussions, focused forums for deeper connection, and ways to find widowed women and men close to your age, date of loss, and geographic location. Our carefully screened virtual community provides hope and healing from the comfort of your home.
When we discovered the lack of research being conducted about the widowed experience, we developed the first center in the U.S. focused on grief and resilience in widowhood. Housed at Schreiner University in Texas, the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center researches widowed experiences and develops tools to support healing in grieving populations.
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Soaring Spirits International
2828 Cochran St. #194
Simi Valley, CA 93065
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 877-671-4071
Soaring Spirits International is a 501(c)3 Corporation EIN#: 38-3787893. Soaring Spirits International provides resources with no endorsement implied.