The Modern Widows Club brings women together for understanding, purpose, and friendship
Losing a spouse is like falling off a cliff, as Anita Harley found out four years ago, after she lost her husband. “The hardest thing when you become a widow is socialization,” she shares. “Everyone is doing things in couples.” When she discovered the Modern Widows Club online, it seemed like a safe place to land.
Founded in 2011, the Modern Widows Club is a national organization that empowers widows to lean into life, build resilience, and make a positive difference in society. Greenville is home to the only South Carolina chapter, and the group grows each month. Meetings are on the third Thursday of each month at a member’s home.
“The organization reminds us we have lost the love of our life, but not the love of life,” says Harley. Everyone in the group is on their own journey and grieves in their own way. The organization steps in and helps each person wherever they are in the process.
Harley found fulfillment in helping the new widows. “I feel like I have a calling now. I like helping them realize they are not alone.”
Nikki Thompson lost her husband, Will, to early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She joined the club in 2016 and now helps manage the South Carolina chapter. “We are getting five to seven calls a week from widows looking for assistance,” she reports. The organization connects them with services and provides compassion and support.
Modern Widows Club
In addition to monthly meetings, the group also tackles monthly service projects. “We believe when you give, you heal,” says Thompson. They have worked with Ronald McDonald House, Meals on Wheels, and Sunday Dinner, an organization providing a big meal to the homeless on Sundays. They celebrate Thanksgiving with a Friendsgiving meal each November, and collect toys and clothes for families in need each Christmas.
Thompson also found the Modern Widows Club online. “I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. Like minds? Camaraderie? It was like friends and family didn’t want to bring up [my husband’s] name,” she says. “The group gave me a chance to be consoled, loved on, and encouraged. It helped me through the healing process.”
“Widows are a discreet population,” Thompson adds. “You don’t just announce to people you are a widow. In this group, we celebrate each other’s successes. We help each other and do what’s needed. The goal is to become healthy and healed, to give back. We laugh. We cry. We are like-minded friends.”
The widows call themselves “wisters” because they are widow sisters. Their ages range from 30 to 80 and beyond.
“This group helps widows be more resilient and live a full life,” says Thompson. “Some ladies have never done anything without their husbands. Different ladies have different issues. We try to meet their need, whatever it is.”
The National Chapter has a book club, art club, travel club, and free online courses on a range of topics. The local group enjoys outings to Top Golf, axe throwing, and line dancing.
The goal? Not just to survive, but to thrive.
Modern Widows Club, 844.429.4369, modernwidowsclub.org
