Our Programs

Soaring Spirits has one goal; to connect widowed people with each other.

  • Newly WidowedInformation, resources and understanding for those who are recently widowed.
  • Camp WidowAn uplifting, life-affirming event planned for widowed people by widowed people.
  • Regional Social GroupsRegular social gatherings of widowed people all over North America and selected locations globally.
  • Widow’s Voice BlogWe house the largest library in the world of blogs written by widowed people about love, grief, and life after the death of a partner.
  • Widowed VillageOur 24/7 online community is a place to write, read and share thoughts with other widowed people.
  • Public Health InitiativeChanging the way the public supports widowed people through customized training and resource development.
  • Widowed Pen PalsAn opportunity to connect with another widowed person by email.
  • You Are Not Alone OutreachOffers quick and easy ways to connect a widowed person in your life with our community.

Thank You to our Partners and Sponsors

Soaring Spirits is grateful for the incredible support of our corporate and community sponsors. Our work is fueled by their generosity.

AdventistHealth – Simi Valley
All Pro Bicycles
AT&T
Bellis Reinforcing Steel
Bohnett Foundation
Coastal Business Supplies
Corporate Graphics Communications
Dignity Memorial
H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation
Hutton Parker Foundation
Living Out
Qualcomm Foundation
Rhino’s Sports and Spirits
Rotary Club of Simi Valley
Rotary International
Swinks Towing
The James and Deborah Klein Family Foundation
The Junkyard Cafe
The Minnesota Grief Project Legacy Fund
United Way
Wells Fargo
World Financial Group
Camp Widow

Camp Widow

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.

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We Appreciate our Widowed Allies

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

Widow’s Voice

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.

Sick and Solo

Sick and Solo

It was bound to happen. For four years I have managed to avoid contracting Covid, but that changed last week. When Tony first passed in 2021, I worried about it a lot. How would I manage taking care...

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NY State of Mind

NY State of Mind

My wedding anniversary is coming up on October 27th. It would have been 18 years, but instead, it is forever just under 5 years. Don and I got married in Sea Cliff, New York, at a beautiful venue on...

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Happy Birthday Little Q

Happy Birthday Little Q

Welcome Saturday readers! This is Mary Moore Hughes posting for Lisa who is in the recovery stages of Hurricane Milton. She has no power or internet but they are ok! Since Milton arrived the day her...

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50 Things

50 Things

I honestly have not been in a writing mood the past week. Usually, at some point during the week, an idea of a topic will pop into my head, but not this week. I’m still recovering from the pinched...

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Seniors on the Move

Seniors on the Move

Tomorrow Robyn and I are off to New York City for Robyn’s birthday weekend!  It is not her actual birthdate.  That occurred in August. Consider it a belated celebration, although, as I recall, we...

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Imagining Life Today

Imagining Life Today

Perspective. Do you ever have trouble getting your head around the fact that your person is not here? I pause when typing those words because what does “not here” even mean? Not here, even...

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The Impossible Question

The Impossible Question

Lately, I’ve been really struggling with figuring out an answer to “the question”. The question that I keep dreading in the back of my head each day. The question that the twins keep asking more...

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Time

Time

Welp. I wrote this last week and must have forgotten to hit the publish button. Goodness me. So here it is, a week late. In her book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin writes, “The days are long,...

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Rebuilding

Rebuilding

How many times do I have to rebuild my life? I feel like I have done it quite a few times at this point, and I still dont know how to create income doing something I love and/or am passionate about...

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A Toast to My Mom

A Toast to My Mom

In last week’s post, I shared that October First marked my Second Blogaversary here at Widow’s Voice. There are seven of us bloggers in this space, one for each day of the week, walking the Widowed...

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Soaring Spirits International: Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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.

4 Million

People Reached

70

Regional Groups

69%

Parenting Minor Children

10K

Newly Widowed Packets Delivered Annually Free of Charge

20K

Outreach Cards Delivered Annually Free of Charge

Newly Widowed Packets

Newly Widowed Packets

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.

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You Are Not Alone Cards

You Are Not Alone Cards

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.

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Widowed Village

Widowed Village

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.

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Soaring Spirits Resilience Center

Soaring Spirits Resilience Center

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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