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.
  • 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.

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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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.

Reprise (updated)

Reprise (updated)

I am on the road all week. In my absence I have decided to reprint my initial contribution to this blog with a few edits. It concerns a tough time in my life. Most important, my sweet wife was recently...

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Camp Widow Serendipity . . .

Camp Widow Serendipity . . .

… a story. It was September of 2022 in Denver at the local community college. A widow, finding no support options in Mississippi, arrives via a road trip where Soaring Spirits is offering a one-day...

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“Pas Voulu Mais Choisi”

“Pas Voulu Mais Choisi”

Image by Josue Michel on Unsplash 18 March 2023 I have just come back from my Saturday morning swim with the Masters. When I say, “with the Masters”, I speak rather relatively. Yes, I am part of...

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Our Anniversary, Number 16 and Number 2

Our Anniversary, Number 16 and Number 2

  Friday would have been our 16th wedding anniversary and it’s the 2nd one he’s missed. The last two years I have intentionally been away from home on St. Patrick’s Day. Last year, the kids...

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Sunset at Clearwater

Sunset at Clearwater

So, as you are all probably tired of me saying and tired of reading about, I was unable to attend Camp Widow Tampa and do my presentation this year, which is/was this weekend. Right about now, as I...

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Growing in Circles

Growing in Circles

Last Saturday I wrote about staying in place after losing a spouse or significant other. It isn’t easy to stay in a home that looks the same to everyone else, but doesn’t feel the same to the one...

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Winks

Winks

I go through these phases where I feel like Boris is sending me signs, or sometimes I call them “winks”, and then there are long periods of time where I feel like I get nothing. I feel like he isn’t...

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Music to My Ears

Music to My Ears

I am not a fan of country music. However, bluegrass music is a guilty pleasure. I admire the technical skill required to play as fast and as clean as its finest practitioners. I like the twangy two,...

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How Lucky Are We?

How Lucky Are We?

The Wonder of a Camp for Widowed People (the sequel) It is truly a wonder that a camp for widowed people exists! In October 2021, after I attended my first camp, I wrote about it here. This is the sequel...

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A Monstruous Web of Grief and Loss

A Monstruous Web of Grief and Loss

Main image by Guille Pozzi on Unsplash I saw yet another film today. I am seeing rather a few at the moment. Anytime I go into town, I work out whether or not I can sneak in a film on my way home. And...

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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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Sponsors

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

99.1 The Ranch – KWSV
All Pro Bicycles
AT&T
Bellis Reinforcing Steel
Bohnett Foundation
Coastal Business Supplies
Corporate Graphics Communications
H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation
Hutton Parker Foundation
Jake and Jack
Living Out
Qualcomm Foundation
Perspective Wealth Management of Raymond James Canada Ltd.
Rhino’s Sports and Spirits
Rotary Club of Simi Valley
Rotary International
Swinks Towing
The James and Deborah Klein Family Foundation
The Junkyard Cafe
United Way
Wells Fargo
World Financial Group