How Do I Join a Modern Widows Club Support Group?

HOW DOES MWC WORK?

Each month, MWC focuses on topics related to one of MWC’s Pillars of Healthy Widowhood: emotional and mental health; physical health; financial health; purpose and meaning; spiritual health; fun and creative health; and relational health. Communities meet monthly, both locally and virtually. We also offer an ongoing variety of clubs, events, online education courses, and webinars designed specifically for widows.

HOW DO I CONTACT A COMMUNITY?

Visit our Community page to see a list of currently active communities, both local and virtual. Complete the form on that page and you will be connected with a Community Advocate who will walk you through how to get involved.

WHO IS MODERN WIDOWS CLUB?

Modern Widows Club (MWC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2011 with a mission to empower widows to thrive. MWC is pioneering advancements in widow support, medical research and education. Many of our unique endeavors have been trademarked to protect our innovation. With over a decade’s worth of materials and research in the “MWC Vault,” we continue to develop data and materials to advance opportunities, create change and enable widows to thrive.

HOW IS MWC DIFFERENT FROM GRIEF GROUPS AND OTHER WIDOWS ORGANIZATIONS?

Modern Widows Club is unique in that we model a mentor-focused program to teach women to become leaders with our Hope, Heal, Grow & Lead curriculum. We’ve helped thousands of widows develop the tools they need to strengthen themselves with our Seven Pillars of Widowhood. Ultimately, we focus on your health, not your grief.

MWC’s curriculum provides ongoing training to outreach-volunteers, who provide support in local communities through virtual chapters and clubs. Additional programs and services include e-courses, podcasts, online resources, leadership conferences, and national events dedicated to improving widows’ lives. MWC can provide the support and tools to help you gain hope, begin healing, learn to grow, and if you choose, become an advocate for widows in your community and worldwide.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE A WIDOW?

MWC seeks to empower partners, who consider themselves widowed, of all ages, races/ethnicities, beliefs, faiths, partner statuses, sexual orientations, socio-economic statuses, and loss circumstances in widowhood to lean into life and build resilience through mentoring, awareness, and advocacy.

WHAT IS A FRESH WIDOW?

A fresh widow is someone recently widowed. It is not a requirement to be a fresh widow to join Modern Widows Club. Widows find us at all phases after entering widowhood.

WHAT IS A WISTER®?

A Wister is a widow and a sister. No matter how hard others try to understand widowhood, it takes one to know one. That’s why we’ve trademarked this unique word.

WHAT IS BRAIN FOG?

Many widows experience brain fog, also known as widow brain or widow fog. This is a collection of symptoms that can affect your ability to think, sometimes presenting as confusion, forgetfulness, difficulty with attention, and the inability to put thoughts into words. The onset, intensity and duration varies.

AM I READY FOR MWC?

Wister…if you’re wondering if you’re ready to join MWC, trust us, we understand. Sometimes it’s hard to take the first step, to walk into a room of strangers or join an online virtual meeting. Not only that, the pandemic has changed the experience of widowhood. The best thing for you to know is we don’t have any expectations or obligations. We have thousands of widows who’ve joined the wisterhood. In fact, many of us are remarried, yet MWC remains an integral part of life. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with other widows in a safe space, and if you’re not ready to do anything other than listen, that’s all you need to do. There is never any pressure to participate.

IS THERE A FEE TO JOIN?

We do not require a membership fee. However, as our organization relies entirely on the generosity of donors, every contribution makes a difference in the life of a widow. If you are able, your recurring donation of any amount will help us continue to serve widows around the globe. Income generated annually from our signature Widow Empowerment Event, MWC’s Widow Empowerment School of Thought, webinars, and merchandise also support our cause to revolutionize widowhood worldwide.

WHAT IF I DIDN’T HAVE A “FAIRYTALE” RELATIONSHIP?

No need to pretend here. Often we encounter widows who feel guilty or are fearful they won’t “fit in” because they weren’t in a “perfect” marriage. Perhaps yours was the “perfect” marriage, perhaps it wasn’t. We recognize every relationship is different. MWC is about you, your future, and your health. It may sound shocking, but we actually laugh, joke and cry more than anyone realizes! It’s part of growth. The depth of emotion, which may feel overwhelmingly full of despair as a fresh widow, is also the overwhelmingly powerful depth of other emotions you can feel as you awaken from brain fog and begin creating your next steps.

WHICH PHASE OF WIDOWHOOD AM I IN?

MWC has tools to help you assess where you are today, such as our Widow Empowerment Quiz, but we also know this can change tomorrow. Our programs are designed to support this fluctuation. You’ll receive additional resources to help understand the phases of Hope, Heal, Grow & Lead.

I WANT TO BE AN ADVOCATE AND START A COMMUNITY. HOW DO I DO THIS?

Welcome! Contact MWC Programs and someone from our Programs Team will be in touch.

HOW DO I UPDATE MY MAILCHIMP PREFERENCES?

The easiest way to update your preferences is to go to your most recent copy of Inside Look or any newsletter email from MWC and scroll to the bottom. You will see the below item – click on Update Your Preferences

It will then request that you confirm sending a link

You then will receive an email with a link to click to adjust your preferences. You can then check or uncheck anything you don’t want to participate within. Be sure to Update Profile at the bottom and it will be updated for you.

HOW DO I LOG INTO WIDOW EMPOWERMENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHT?

Download a PDF here with instructions for logging into your Widow Empowerment School of Thought (WESOT) account.

HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?

Contact MWC Support or call 844 4 A WIDOW. Our goal is to respond to inquiries within 72 hours. We are not grief support.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency please dial 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your local emergency room. If you require resources not listed on the MWC site, consider visiting 211.org or contact your local government officials. Often they are aware of local resources that are newly available.