Widows Helping Widows Group to meet at Champaign Public Library April 2

By Brett McMahon

Following the death of her husband last October, Rachel Albers knew she wanted to establish a support system, not only for herself but for other widows in the area.

After joining a Facebook group for widows, she realized how many others were struggling with the loss of their spouse.

“I joined a widows group on Facebook and realized how many women out there are struggling and thought it’d be great to have an in-person support group of other widows that know exactly how it feels,” Albers said. “A lady named Debbie Rohde had posted on Facebook that she wanted to start a widows group and was looking for a couple of others who’d help her. I jumped into action and messaged her right away.

“Debbie lost her husband a couple of years ago and knew then that she wanted to start a group like this. We met and had all the same ideas and dreams for this group so it’s like it was meant to be.”

Widows Helping Widows will hold their first meeting on April 2 at the Champaign Public Library. Meetings will run from 2-4pm on the first Sunday of every month.

At present, the group is focused strictly on helping women work through their feelings of loss, but Albers hopes to eventually be able to include widowers as well. While she is hopeful for a larger turnout, Albers expects the first meeting to consist of ten or fewer women. Still, she holds high hopes the number will grow quickly.

Utilizing Facebook, local newspapers, and putting out flyers, Albers hopes to also get the word out through word of mouth and grow the group.

While the location of the Champaign Public Library was chosen by Rohde, Albers supports that choice wholeheartedly, pointing out that it’s a place where women can bring their kids along and the kids can grab a book to read or play in one of the activity centers while meetings are going on.

Despite living in Fairmount, Albers has ties to Champaign County, having lived in Homer, Ogden and St. Joseph, as well as working in Champaign. With Rohde being from St. Joe and owning a business at one time, Albers believes people from those areas will recognize their names, leading to word of mouth helping to bring in more widows seeking support.

Other plans for the group include building Google Forms and a Facebook page, so if someone is unable to attend a meeting, they can still feel involved with the group. Additionally, she says members can eventually plan on group outings.

“We will most definitely be including group outings at some point. We want to build social and emotional relationships so we can help each other through this tough time. That way these women don’t feel so lonely and stuck- now they will have something to look forward to.”

Those who are interested in joining can simply attend the April 2 meeting or can reach out to Rachel for more information at 217-722-3827 or Debbie at 217-369-7068.