The American Widow Project
Encyclopedia
American Widow Project (AWP) is a non-profit organization
providing peer to peer support to a new generation of military widows grieving the loss of a spouse in the armed forces.
AWP was founded in 2007 by Taryn Davis of San Marcos, TX after her husband, CPL Michael Davis, was killed in action in the Iraq war on May 21, 2007. Finding herself a widow
at the age of 22, she discovered that there were few resources to help young military widows.
Following her grief and confusion, four months later she began work on a documentary speaking to military widows, hearing their stories of love, tragedy and overall survival. The documentary was shown to military widows who gathered in Austin, Texas
from across the country in July 2008, for the official "launch" of the American Widow Project. During the launch In Their Boots
was on location to film and interview widows.
Since then, the AWP has conducted several events through the country to unite military widows to celebrate their survival, honor their loved ones sacrifice, and provide a healing environment with others who share this journey. The core philosophy of the AWP is to serve the interests of the military widow community by and through means readily accessible anywhere, anytime. AWP quarterly events are invaluable in unifying this growing band of young military widows. Other AWP services further solidify the comprehensive support network to its members. A 24/7 hotline, enables an immediate connection to another widow. A documentary produced by the AWP is provided free of charge to all military widows. The AWP official website is the focal point for a multitude of resources and information, including upcoming events and personal accounts from the widows themselves. Finally, an array of interactive social networking sites serves as a hub for ongoing dynamic communication and fellowship.
The American Widow Project has been nationally recognized by a multitude of media outlets such as: ABC news
with Bob Woodruff, NPR
, CNN
, CBS
, ABC News
, Military.com
, The Washington Times
, USAA
Magazine, Los Angeles Times
, The Fayetteville Observer, San Marcos Daily Record
, The Huffington Post
, American Forces Network
, Fort Hood Sentinel, The Rosie O'Donnell
Radio Show, Jezebel, Lemondrop, YouServed Radio, Soldiers Angels Forum, In Their Boots
, in addition to many others. Taryn was nominated for the 2010 Loreal Paris Women of Worth award and was named the 2010 L'Oreal Woman of Worth on December 9, 2010. L'Oreal
Taryn was recently chosen as one of five nominees for the 2011 Diane Von Furstenberg "People's Voice Award" Diane Von Furstenberg
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
providing peer to peer support to a new generation of military widows grieving the loss of a spouse in the armed forces.
AWP was founded in 2007 by Taryn Davis of San Marcos, TX after her husband, CPL Michael Davis, was killed in action in the Iraq war on May 21, 2007. Finding herself a widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
at the age of 22, she discovered that there were few resources to help young military widows.
Following her grief and confusion, four months later she began work on a documentary speaking to military widows, hearing their stories of love, tragedy and overall survival. The documentary was shown to military widows who gathered in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
from across the country in July 2008, for the official "launch" of the American Widow Project. During the launch In Their Boots
In Their Boots
In Their Boots is a web based documentary series about the impact the War in Iraq and the War in Afghanistan are having on people at home in the United States. Every episode features a documentary about how the servicemen and women of the American armed forces, their families, and American...
was on location to film and interview widows.
Since then, the AWP has conducted several events through the country to unite military widows to celebrate their survival, honor their loved ones sacrifice, and provide a healing environment with others who share this journey. The core philosophy of the AWP is to serve the interests of the military widow community by and through means readily accessible anywhere, anytime. AWP quarterly events are invaluable in unifying this growing band of young military widows. Other AWP services further solidify the comprehensive support network to its members. A 24/7 hotline, enables an immediate connection to another widow. A documentary produced by the AWP is provided free of charge to all military widows. The AWP official website is the focal point for a multitude of resources and information, including upcoming events and personal accounts from the widows themselves. Finally, an array of interactive social networking sites serves as a hub for ongoing dynamic communication and fellowship.
The American Widow Project has been nationally recognized by a multitude of media outlets such as: ABC news
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
with Bob Woodruff, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Military.com
Military.com
Military.com is the website created by Military Advantage to be a portal for U.S. military members. In early 2004, Military Advantage was purchased by Monster Worldwide. The company's main revenue streams are advertising, military-themed products and lead generation for military recruiters...
, The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, USAA
USAA
United Services Automobile Association is a Fortune 500 financial services company offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families that serve, or served, in the United States military. In 2011, there were 8.4 million members. The company reported a net worth of $19.3 billion in...
Magazine, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Fayetteville Observer, San Marcos Daily Record
San Marcos Daily Record
The San Marcos Daily Record is five-day daily newspaper published in San Marcos, Texas, in the afternoon on weekdays , and on Sunday mornings. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc....
, The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, American Forces Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
, Fort Hood Sentinel, The Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
Radio Show, Jezebel, Lemondrop, YouServed Radio, Soldiers Angels Forum, In Their Boots
In Their Boots
In Their Boots is a web based documentary series about the impact the War in Iraq and the War in Afghanistan are having on people at home in the United States. Every episode features a documentary about how the servicemen and women of the American armed forces, their families, and American...
, in addition to many others. Taryn was nominated for the 2010 Loreal Paris Women of Worth award and was named the 2010 L'Oreal Woman of Worth on December 9, 2010. L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
Taryn was recently chosen as one of five nominees for the 2011 Diane Von Furstenberg "People's Voice Award" Diane Von Furstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg, formerly Princess Diane of Fürstenberg , is a Belgian-American fashion designer best known for her iconic wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as the wife of Prince Egon of Fürstenberg...
Temp - sources
- http://www.americanwidowproject.org
- http://abcnews.go.com/WN/WoodruffReports/story?id=7159852&page=1
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96844953
- http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/29/in-their-boots/
- http://cbs11tv.com/seenon/American.Widow.Project.2.763522.html
- http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4368447
- http://www.military.com/military-report/organization--helps-military-widows?ESRC=miltrep.nl
- http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/19/army-widow-helps-heal-the-wound/
- http://content.usaa.com/mcontent/static_assets/Media/dotcom_fall_2009.pdf?cacheid=2562377476
- https://content.usaa.com/mcontent/static_assets/Media/USAA_Mag_winter_2009.pdf?cacheid=764885672
- http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/08/local/me-widow8
- http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/06/25/912419
- http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/local/x1169223054/Tearful-journey
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taryn-davis/american-widow-project-6_b_127424.html
- http://www.afneurope.net/Home/ArticleDisplayDD/tabid/649/aid/7879/Default.aspx
- http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=626
- http://www.humyo.com/F/9318175-1961825229
- http://jezebel.com/5083060/american-widow-project-helps-military-wives-work-through-grief
- http://www.lemondrop.com/2008/11/11/young-iraq-widows-project-helps-others-grieve?icid=sphere_wpcom_inline
- http://www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved/2009/07/16/episode-20
- http://soldiersangelsforum.com/newsletters/1009.pdf
- http://www.intheirboots.org/episodes/season-1/we-regret-to-inform-you.html
- http://www.womenofworth.com/honorees/Honorees_2010.aspx
- http://inside.dvf.com/awards