Jamestown Grief Team Hosts Free Day of Support for Widowers March 28

The Jamestown Area Grief Support Team is offering something rare in the world of grief programming: a room full of men who know exactly what another man is going through when his wife dies.

JAGST's "Just For Men – A Day for Widowers" runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in the Anton Klaus Room at the Gladstone Inn & Suites. The event is free, includes a light breakfast and lunch, and requires advance registration. To sign up, call Justin at 701-368-2699.

JAGST member Justin Feight will facilitate the day's gathering, joined by special guest speaker Tommy Jones.

The program is built around an acknowledgment that male grief operates differently. "The death of a spouse can be more difficult for men than for women," writes Herb Knoll in "The Widower's Journey." "Men tend to bottle up their feelings and don't reach out for the help they need. Men have a hard time asking for help. Men have always been taught that regardless of the situation they should be slow to ask for support."

JAGST echoes that observation in describing why a men-only program matters: "Experiencing the death of a wife is likely the most difficult and challenging experience any man will face. Grief is a powerful force and can be overwhelming. Combine this with the fact that most men find it difficult to express their feelings and reach out for support and it is evident that this time of loss can be a struggle like no other."

The peer dynamic is central to the program's design. As JAGST puts it, no one can understand what a widower is going through like another widower, and even though every situation is unique, the shared experience carries common threads.

JAGST is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization whose mission is "growing through grief, bringing hope, healing and wholeness." Its members are not professional counselors and do not offer individual counseling; instead, they operate under a "companioning" philosophy of grief support. In addition to special events like the March 28 program, JAGST offers two six-week support groups annually and an annual Community Service of Remembrance.