About Us
Who is The Widow Collaborative?
The Widow Collaborative (TWC) is a nonprofit organization that helps widows, acting as a sanctuary and providing a haven of understanding and guidance amidst the profound challenges of losing a spouse or partner. Born from personal experiences of loss, our mission is to uplift and encourage, ensuring that no one navigates the complexities of their healing process alone. We champion widow empowerment, providing both young widows and those who have lost their spouse later in life with multiple resources including financial, household, and emotional support. TWC does not offer the services, rather it gives families information about services and supports in their area.
TWC was organized to address the emotional and economic impact affecting widows, especially those in certain lower income and diverse categories, by providing information and other resources not readily available to or affordable by widows to assist widows.
TWC intends to create and develop a website portal available to widows (focused on those in lower economic and diverse communities) together with other support services on a charge free basis to assist them in identifying and organizing their affairs and to provide them an educational platform and to access to outside third party resources.
What’s Unique About TWC?
Taking your unique journey to heart, we’ve created a custom interactive tool that guides you through the crucial first steps of what to do after the loss of a spouse or partner. This platform is designed to help simplify the unexpected challenges of widowhood, by walking you through the tasks that need to be completed and connecting you with a network of professionals catered to your unique needs. Dive into this tool and let it be your compass, directing you to tailored resources and solutions, making the aftermath of loss just a little bit easier.
At The Widow Collaborative, we believe that together, we can create a brighter tomorrow filled with resilience, growth, and a renewed sense of purpose.
We invite you to join our collaborative community, where you’ll find solace, understanding, and a network of widows who are on this journey and moving through grief alongside you.
Co-Founder of The Widow Collaborative and Owner of Perrill Digital Agency, Amy’s dual roles harness both passion and expertise, ensuring TWC thrives in the digital realm. Witnessing TWC and Perrill join forces to make a marked impact on the lives of widows has been a heartening experience. Her personal journey, marked by the loss of her husband, Jay, in 2020, fuels her dedication to becoming a widowed community advocate and supporting others enduring similar pain. With a vision of TWC as a nationwide haven for widows, Amy dreams of a unified platform that offers solace and direction for young widows like herself. Outside of The Widow Collaborative, Amy resides in Minneapolis. She actively supports her community through various non-profit organizations and dedicates time at her children’s school health office. Amy also enjoys moments with her three children, dining out, sipping wine, socializing, and working out.
Connect with Amy
As a Co-Founder at TWC, Carrie’s dedication stems not only from her own experience but also from her role as a school Occupational Therapy Assistant. There, she witnesses firsthand how grief impacts children and their families. A month after the loss of her husband, Jason, in 2021, Carrie realized her calling: to support widows in their hour of need, as she was once supported. Widowhood reshaped her life, leaving her to navigate new challenges alongside her two teenagers. This, coupled with her professional insights, inspired her aspiration for the TWC–a world where no widow feels isolated. She envisions TWC as their guiding beacon. Outside of The Widow Collaborative, Carrie loves music, boat rides, and taking walks–she also has a newfound interest in golf.
Connect with Carrie
As a Co-Founder of The Widow Collaborative, Annie blends her personal journey with her professional role as a Family Services Collaborative Specialist. In this capacity, she brings together leaders from diverse fields dedicated to supporting children and families in the community, aligning perfectly with TWC’s mission of fostering supportive networks. Annie’s commitment to helping others has deep roots, intensified by her husband’s Glioblastoma diagnosis and their shared vision to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Following Marc’s passing, Annie’s vision became clear: to establish a resource for widows akin to the supportive community she and her family leaned on during their journey. Annie’s dream for TWC is unwavering: a sanctuary for every widow, offering a trusted place for them to turn throughout their journey. Beyond TWC, Annie loves seeking adventures with her three daughters, diving into diverse cultures–especially through food, and all-things Wisconsin Badgers.
Connect with Annie
TWC Co-Founder, Jody Sowieja, carries with her a wealth of experience from her leadership role in a Real Estate Photography venture in the Twin Cities. At TWC, she applies these skills in shaping the website’s vision, functionality, and design, consistently innovating to offer widows an all-encompassing resource. The tragic loss of her husband in a 2022 snowmobile accident has been the most overwhelming and challenging time of her life but created a passion in her soul to make something beautiful for other widows. Her vision for TWC is a safe, welcoming place for widows to find resources, connections, support, and hope to move forward. Outside of TWC, she keeps busy with her two teenage daughters, filled with a newfound love of traveling together and planning their next adventure. She cherishes spending time with family and friends, listening to music, working out, dancing, and organizing anything brings her great joy!
Connect with Jody
Every widow, everywhere, deserves to find a community of understanding and support.
Rooted in Minnesota, we began our journey with a vision close to our hearts. While our origin is deeply tied to the warmth of the Minnesotan community, our aspirations stretch far beyond. Our dream is to extend our support network to widows across the nation. Advocating, supporting, and connecting–no matter the distance or boundary.
FAQs
Ready to embrace hope, resilience, and a community that understands?
Join The Widow Collaborative now and gain access to our unparalleled resources–there with you every step of the way.