Widows In Action is a support group for women grieving the loss of a spouse. Over the years, Betty Gilmore has said goodbye far more than she was ever prepared for.

"He was a man that took care of his family and loved his wife. He was the first man that ever called me a queen," said Gilmore of her late husband.

In February 2000, Gilmore's husband passed away from service-related injuries.

"And I felt like, ‘oh, my God, where do I go from here?’ " said Gilmore.

In 2016, she started Widows in Action, providing women with grief counseling, legal services and to help answer an important question: What’s next?

"I believe that the widows are the ones that are least taken care of or least thought about," said Gilmore.

And the support extends overseas. WIA International has chapters in Africa, India, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, where widows have limited access to finances, health care, and oftentimes struggle to obtain inheritance and land ownership. In some cases, these women find themselves homeless and victims of physical abuse.

The organization has helped with food, clothing, transportation to the hospital and building widow support centers. According to the United Nations, there are approximately 258 million widows around the world, and nearly one in 10 live in extreme poverty.

"When we go in as Widows in Action, they know that they're talking to another widow that has perhaps been through a lot of things that they're going through right now," said Gilmore.

The group has helped thousands, including Gilmore. After saying goodbye to her soulmate, she became all too familiar with grief — her mother died six months later, and two of her sons died, in 2019 and 2021.

Gilmore says she may have lost loved ones, but she will never be alone.