Never Alone Widows is grateful to the Gary Sinise Foundation for its generous sponsorship of Never Alone Widows of Heroes.

The Never Alone: Widows of Heroes retreats are designed specifically to meet the unique needs of Gold Star widows and the widows of first responders. Our goal is to create a safe environment where these women can find support and community with other widows walking a similar journey.

With an understanding of the loss that occurs because of service and sacrifice, our team has cultivated a gathering of healing and comfort to address the trauma experienced by the widow who has been faced with the untimely death of a military or first responder spouse.

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Never Alone Widows Of Heroes is a retreat where military and first responder widows can come together to be inspired, supported and enveloped in a community.

Criteria to apply for Widows of Heroes Retreats:

Must be a widow of any active military/veteran branch of service OR a first responder widow (Police, Fire, EMT, Law Enforcement, FBI, CIA, Rescue, Secret Service)
Widowed within the last 5 years
Not remarried
Currently raising children alone at home
Must identify with the Christian faith and be willing to provide a recommendation letter from a pastor or other spiritual leader

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Upcoming Retreats

Widows of Heroes

ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA
November 7-9, 2025

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Take a look inside the Gary Sinise Foundation as our Widows of Heroes received a hero’s welcome to the headquarters:

Never Alone: Widows of Heroes began in early March 2020, when we hosted our very first Widows of Heroes Retreat. Twenty Gold Star and first responder widows from all over the country gathered together on the coast of southern California at La Terranea Resort. On the shores of the pacific, these widows found community with one another, as well as hope and encouragement from our team.

Without a generous grant from the Gary Sinise Foundation, the Widows of Heroes retreats would not be possible. The Gary Sinise Foundation is based out of Nashville, TN and provides support through multiple programs for Veterans, First Responders and their families. Our first Widows of Heroes retreat was an unforgettable experience and its success launched a new vision and mission for our team.

Meet Our Speakers

Rachel Faulkner Brown

Rachel Faulkner Brown is a girl with a past like your worst nightmare and future that she never dreamed possible. Rachel has lived through losing two husbands tragically in an instant, one to an aneurysm and one in an Air Force plane crash. She is the founder of Be Still Ministries, a writer, speaker, Bible teacher and professional Goodwill shopper.

Ginger Gilbert Ravella

Ginger Gilbert Ravella is a military wife and widow, mother of five, stepmother of two, writer and international speaker. At 36 years old, she faced the sudden tragic loss of her college-sweetheart husband in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the horrors that quickly followed.