A SPECIAL MESSAGE
A Message to Our Community from MWC Founder Carolyn Moor
Dear friends, wisters (widow + sisters), and community members:
Modern Widows Club has been a lifeline to me, and to many of you as well, throughout our personal and challenging journeys. It is now time for all of us to throw a lifeline to MWC.
I am unhesitating in my decision to be fearlessly transparent with all of you in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of Modern Widows Club. My transparency begins with giving you a realistic view into the health of our organization.
Donations are at an all-time low. So far in 2022 and 2023, grants have been impossible to obtain. Fees we receive for our paid programs are negatively impacted due to the uncertain economy.
All three funding sources are a necessity for sustainability of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit and 509(a)(2) public charity. This lack of funding jeopardizes the positions of MWC’s contracted staff, compensation to me as MWC Founder and Executive Director, and our organization as a whole.
Stating that this is a crisis situation is an understatement.
I’m writing today to ask for your help. Will you please take a moment to contemplate continuing to assist us in making a difference in the lives of widows, both now and in the years to come? Your ongoing support means the world to us and those we serve.
Whether you’ve personally benefited from the support of Modern Widows Club or you’ve compassionately referred widows to our organization, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude. Your support has been invaluable.
Click below to continue reading Carolyn’s message.
MWC MONTHLY TOPIC
Champion Your Passions
Our October 2023 topic is found under our Emotional & Mental Health Pillar of Healthy Widowhood. MWC Founder Carolyn Moor shares a preview of this month’s video:
Some of you may remember when the song “We Are the Champions” by Queen took the world by storm in 1977.
The lyrics are so profound as the anthem for anyone who has endured a long road of challenges. I think as women in widowhood, we can easily adopt this song as our rally cry.
I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand
Kicked in my face
But I've come through
And we mean to go on and on and on and on
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
An instant hit with everyone, because we all know the human condition of feeling like sand has been kicked in our face when we are down.
Click below to watch Carolyn’s video.
#WEE2023
Thank You for Joining Us at WEE 2023!
Thank you from all of us at Modern Widows Club for joining us at our 2023 Widow Empowerment Event in St. Louis, Missouri, a transformative experience created for widows, by widows.
Our nonprofit, which may be new to some of you, but a longtime, dear friend for others, has always kept your voice the beacon of hope in all we do.
We know widows are unique in their needs and wants in life, so in everything we do, we want you to know that you are first and foremost in the heart of our organization.
There are women from all over the world who attended WEE. We want to thank you for all the effort you went through to travel and make this weekend possible for yourself. It’s really extraordinary and mind blowing to comprehend. We hope you felt seen, heard, respected, and loved.
A special thank you to all of our speakers and sponsors who saw how important it was to be with us at WEE. We love you.
All of us together make up Modern Widows Club, a club none of us wanted to join — and yet, we’re so grateful we have found each other to support not only ourselves, but tomorrow’s widows as well.
MWC SPECIAL EVENT
Coach-a-Thon 1:1 Interactive Event for Widows
On Tuesday, October 24 from 8–9pm ET, come experience a meaningful and supportive evening of open questions and answers with plenty of wisdom shared about the journey of widowhood, and an opportunity for a 1:1 conversation with Carolyn Moor.
All widows are welcome. Please bring your question for Carolyn, which you can ask publicly or privately.
To attend, you must register in advance — just click the button below. After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details about joining the Zoom session.
The session won’t be recorded, so don’t forget to mark your calendar! We look forward to seeing you there.
WELLNESS WINDOW
Variety is the Spice We All Need
By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT
When I was in grad school I brought my lunch to work and school every day. It didn’t vary much: yogurt, baby carrots, crackers or pretzels, and usually a piece of fruit. Sometimes a sandwich would sneak in, but always with baby carrots. I loved the crunch and the fact that they were low in calories.
One day I picked up a baby carrot and literally could not take a bite of it. I had eaten carrots every day for months, and something took over that simply made me feel ill at the thought of biting into another carrot.
To this day I do not eat many baby carrots. If I buy them, they sit in my crisper drawer and get all dried out. I may eat one here and there on a vegetable tray at a party, but I can’t bring myself to eat them regularly. Why? I simply OD’d on carrots! I had eaten them so often that I could not do it anymore. The same thing almost happened with oatmeal. Luckily I saw the burnout coming and stopped myself before it overtook me.
We need variety in our diets for many reasons. Preventing burnout is one reason, but so is nutrition.
Click below to continue reading Tara’s article.
Tara Gidus Collingwood is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, and fellow Wister. You can find her at dietdiva.net.
MENTORING PROGRAM
PIVOT 6-Month Virtual Mentoring Program with Carolyn Moor
This transformative journey, which runs from January through June 2024, is designed to empower widows to embrace their new life with a well-rounded, positive mindset and a drive for continual progress.
PIVOT Pre-Program: Uncertain, but Ready for Profound Change
PIVOT Post-Program: Transformed and Transfigured
“PIVOT has opened up a whole new world to me. New opportunities and resources that I hadn’t known existed. It’s okay to be happy and I’m finding more of who I am. Someone who is living my life through my heart and not my head.” - Terri W.
If you'd like to discuss whether PIVOT is the right fit for you, please contact us before December 15 at programdirector@modernwidowsclub.org.
MWC TRAVEL CLUB
Announcing Our First MWC Parenting Club Vacation!
If you’re a member of our Parenting Club and/or Travel Club, you and your children are invited to join us on Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Breakaway” vessel on International Widows Day (June 23, 2024) for a 7-night cruise from Miami, Florida to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Tortola, Virgin Islands; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.
The Breakaway was voted “Best Cruise Ship for Families” by USA Today, and it offers plenty of fun activities for the whole family: aqua parks (including one just for kids!), ropes course, age-tailored kids’ programs (including one for teens), sports complex, video arcade, and much more!
To learn more about room options, amenities, costs, flight packages, and other details, or to book your cruise, join our Travel Club on Facebook and click the “Events” tab.
We’re looking forward to meeting families from our Parenting Club!