What is Broken Halos Haven?
Broken Halos Haven helps to empower and build the confidence of young widows who are now parenting alone AND to help families realize it’s OK to move forward and find joy again even in the midst of their grief.
Broken Halos Haven serves young widows and their school-aged children in Dallas/Ft. Worth (and beyond!) with 4 main offerings:
1. Grief Retreat
A no-cost, stay at Broken Halos Haven, our private, “grief retreat” home located in Old Town Lewisville.
2. SHIFT
SHIFT is a weekly, group grief support program for children who have lost a parent due to death.
3. Honey Dudes
Household maintenance and repair needs can overwhelm a widow because they’re reminders of the huge void left in their family. “The Haven Honey Dudes” swoop into widows’ homes on designated weekends and complete tasks on household to-do lists.
4. Man Camp
Man Camp is a program for boys who no longer have fathers to teach and guide them. They gather with “mentor dads” to learn simple tasks every man should know (i.e. how to start a lawnmower, how to throw a ball, how to shake a hand, how to treat a woman, etc.). There is also intentional time training these boys to be men of upstanding character.
Watch this video hear “Stories of Hope” from past families we’ve served:
The Haven
Funds are currently being raised to build The Haven, located three blocks east of Broken Halos Haven in Old Town Lewisville. It will be a place where children who have experienced the death of a parent can connect with each other and receive emotional support through programs/events specially designed to help move them through their grief journey.
Widows and their kids will also be able to gather together at The Haven for weekend potluck dinners, karaoke fun, and family game nights!
FEATURES:
- Man Camp garage
- Upstairs art studio for SHIFT activities
- Soft & safe “rumpus room”
- 2-story, spiral slide
- Large indoor playscape
- Bunk room
- … and more!
To help offset day-to-day operating costs, when it’s not being used for our programs it’ll be available to rent for church lock-ins, kids birthday parties, corporate team building events, and more.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO BUILD THE HAVEN! Click the “Learn More” button for info on how you can be a part.
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We have a widow and three kids from Vancouver, WA needing assistance with airfare! Can you help?? 🙏✈️🌎🧳![]()
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💙 READ THEIR STORY BELOW![]()
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Cost will be around $1300 (nonstop flight PDX to DFW). If you have extra American Airlines miles and could sponsor this family to help offset some of the costs of a trip to Texas, please send us a message. ![]()
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If you'd like to donate money directly to their trip fund, there's a link in the comment section to the support page of our website. Be sure to indicate "For Vancouver, WA family" with your donation.![]()
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💙 Their Story…![]()
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“My husband, Matt, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013 and had a bone marrow transplant (BMT) for treatment. My kids were 4, 2, and newborn at the time. The BMT did its job in ridding his body of the leukemia when it returned, but unfortunately, it caused something called graft vs host disease (gvhd), of which he had a severe and debilitating case. The gvhd impaired Matt’s ability to move to the point that he had difficulty caring for himself, and he lost the ability to do nearly all the things he loved to do—hunting, fishing, boating, working, hiking, biking, and throwing a football and baseball with our boys. ![]()
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For 11 years, Matt fought HARD for his life and the ability to function to the greatest degree that he was able to so that he could be here with us and our family could be “whole.” He was hospitalized 31 times after his diagnosis, and over half of those times we didn't know if he would make it back home to be with us.![]()
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By the grace of God, and Matt's incredible perseverance, he stayed with us until his heart just got too weak to keep up with his fight.![]()
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Matt passed away November 3, 2023, and my kids and I have not felt “whole” since. We do not understand why God called him home so young, and although our hearts struggle with that, we have experienced the faithfulness of God and are continually learning to surrender to and trust in God and his love for us despite the pain and difficulties that my husband’s absence has caused. ![]()
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The opportunity to stay at Broken Halos Haven (and see our ‘bonus family’ that live close by!) is a gift and a reminder of God’s great love for us. I am excited and very grateful for the opportunity to get away, make joyful memories with my children, and reconnect with family friends that we get to see so rarely.”![]()
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#Donate #Support #SummerTrip #SummerTravel ![]()
#GriefRetreat #youngwidows #GriefGetaway #GriefJourney #GriefSupport #widowhood #thewidowettes #onlyparent #soloparent #widowstrength #nonprofit #donate #ministry #dallas #texas #nonprofitministry #Widows #GriefRetreat #youngwidows #GriefGetaway #GriefJourney #GriefSupport #widowhood #thewidowettes #onlyparent #soloparent
A big THANK YOU to the Young Men's Service League - YMSL “Integrity” Chapter for helping us get set up for tonight’s widow wedding. 💍👰🏼🕊️💙![]()
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We know CM Events and Design appreciated the extra hands on deck!! 🙌
CAN YOU HELP A WIDOW AND HER FOUR KIDS GET TO BROKEN HALOS HAVEN THIS SUMMER???![]()
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This family lives in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA and they'd like to visit this summer, but airfare would be around $2,500.![]()
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If you have extra airline miles (Delta or Southwest) and could sponsor this family to help offset some of the costs of a trip to Texas, please send us a message. ![]()
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OR![]()
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If you'd like to donate money directly to their trip fund, there's a link in the comment section to the support page of our website. Be sure to indicate "For PA family" with your donation.![]()
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We'd love to help get this family here as they're approaching the 1-year anniversary on August 15th.![]()
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Their story....![]()
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"This is one of our last professional pictures with my husband, Paul, when we visited Pensacola, FL over Thanksgiving 2023.![]()
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My husband actually passed away right behind where this picture was taken. He and my oldest son (age 17) were swimming out to the sandbar, as they always did. We still don’t know what happened, but my son looked back and my husband was under the water.![]()
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The Lord raised up my oldest son (who is 6’5”) to be near his dad to tow him in, so he wasn’t lost to the gulf. Had I been right there with them I wouldn't have been able to tow in my husband and may have died trying.![]()
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I’m so proud of all of my children. What the Lord has called them to bear, especially for my oldest son Joshua, has been hard, but He is using all of this to shape each one of us for His glory.![]()
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Paul was the sweetest husband and daddy. Every day the Lord gave us together was a gift. Paul knew the Lord and was ready to meet Him on 8/15/24. We do not grieve as those without hope. But our hearts ache for Paul, we want to be near him. The Lord’s grace, mercies, and strength are new every morning, and He is seeing us through each day.![]()
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Exactly what you share on your website is how we feel -- "to build the confidence of widows who are now parenting alone and to help them realize it’s ok to have fun, enjoy life and find joy again." The purpose of your retreat home really resonates with where we are right now and this opportunity could be a real blessing for our family."![]()
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#Donate #Support #SummerTrip #SummerTravel ![]()
#GriefRetreat #youngwidows #GriefGetaway #GriefJourney #GriefSupport #widowhood #thewidowettes #onlyparent #soloparent #widowstrength #nonprofit #donate #ministry #dallas #texas #nonprofitministry #Widows #GriefRetreat #youngwidows #GriefGetaway #GriefJourney #GriefSupport #widowhood #thewidowettes #onlyparent #soloparent
Madison and her two kids are quickly approaching the 1-year mark of losing husband/daddy, Dalton, after a 7-year battle with brain cancer.![]()
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This weekend’s stay at Broken Halos Haven was a much needed distraction from the looming heaviness of that impending day. ![]()
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They took in all the fun of the annual #Colorpalooza festival two blocks away, cuddled with the sloths at EarthWise Pet Flower Mound, and burned off some energy at Ninja Kidz Trampoline Park.![]()
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But the sweetest time was just hanging out at the house enjoying their time together. ![]()
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#Widows #GriefRetreat #youngwidows #GriefGetaway #GriefJourney #GriefSupport #widowhood #thewidowettes #onlyparent #soloparent #widowstrength #nonprofit #donate #ministry #dallas #texas #nonprofitministry![]()
#brokenhaloshaven #brokenhalos #widowsretreat #otlewisville #ModernFarmhouse #oldtownlewisville
Great night with some of the local D/FW #Widowettes at Sip + Savor!![]()
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And a HUGE thank you to Adventure Kids Playcare The Shops at Highland Village Highland Village for providing childcare. What a treat!🙏💙
What team is #1 when it comes to helping get the house ready for families??? ![]()
These awesome ladies from JustServe! 🙌![]()
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They also know the importance of a good karate-chopped pillow.😁 ![]()
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#justserve #volunteer #serveteam #nonprofit #serving #volunteerism #griefretreat #youngwidows #kidsgrief #GriefGetaway