With February comes Valentines Day, a day for sharing time, gifts, and words with those we hold close. However, not everyone has a partner to share the day with, or they don’t have one anymore. This was a thought that crossed the mind of Candy Neal, founder and organizer of the Valentine’s Dinner for Dubois County Widows and Widowers.
Back in the year 2015, Candy Neal felt touched and inspired to start a Valentine’s Dinner for Widows and Widowers in Dubois County. The very first dinner began at the Parklands with 45-50 attendees.
“It was small, but it was the first one,” said Candy.
And the dinner was almost immediately a hit, creating an evening of reminiscence, warmth, and love.
“Ladies will come together,” said Jill Tretter, co-organizer of the Valentine’s Dinner for Widows and Widowers. “ They’ll come in groups of three or four, maybe just two or however they want to come, and it’s just fun to watch them sit together and just have a, just have a great time sharing a meal together, and, um, and all of that. It’s really cool to see.”
While it’s fun for the attendees, it’s also fun for those who work behind the scenes, including co-organizer Jill Tretter who takes care of getting a venue, recruiting volunteers, getting a caterer, decorations, setting up a valet system, and getting her three sons to come home and help put together the event.
“I love just loving on people and showing them God’s love,” Jill said, “but I just have a soft spot in my heart for people in that situation. My sister also was a widow, and so I just want to serve the Lord by serving them, and just let them know how much they’re cared about, and like she said, the interaction, the friendships.”
This event is not only heartwarming to witness and put together, though, but also means a lot to the people of Dubois County.
“Just to have someone touch you and hug you and converse with you,” said Candy. “A lot of our attendees say that they haven’t had that kind of interaction. They don’t get as much of that interaction anymore. So they really appreciate that.”
While the Valentine’s Dinner for Dubois County Widows and Widowers is exclusively for the widows and widowers of Dubois County, Jill and Candy are willing to pull strings to make all the attendees feel welcome.
“That night’s all about them,” said Jill. “And if someone wants to come and they cannot drive, and they’re not comfortable driving, and if they want to bring someone along, they are welcome to come to. We will set a place for them. They are welcome to bring someone along, and we don’t want anybody to not be able to come for something that can be solved.”
When looking at the future, both Candy and Jill think of expanding the event into something that isn’t just seasonal, but instead they think about creating a program for everyone who may be dealing with loneliness.
“A lot of seniors, and, I think, people, probably in general, but a lot of seniors, deal with the fact that maybe the other kids are gone or away,” Candy explained. “Grandkids may not be around, their friends are passing on. So they don’t get as much interaction as they used to, used to when they were younger. I feel like God is calling me, and hopefully my friends, to expand that, to do some type of program with seniors every weekend.”
“I just envision growing this event. If it, you know, spreads out and turns into something greater and bigger, that would be awesome, and thinking about what is gonna make this, the best that it can be for them,” said Jill.
Candy and Jill both have put countless effort, thoughts, and time into the event, yet they still would like to take a moment to thank all of those who helped make this event happen:
- The Hagic Community Center
- Sanders Catering
- Brew Co Creations
- All of those who take their time to volunteer
- The woman who gives out the roses
- All the Escorts
- The Valets for cars
- The Kitchen Crew
- The Cleanup Crew
“Everybody, every time we get to the end of it (the event) they say, ‘Okay, you make sure you remember us next year, because this was so wonderful, this was so neat. I learned so much from the different people, as we’re sitting around talking to them. Definitely include me,” Candy shared.
The Valentine’s Dinner for Dubois County Widow and Widowers is happening on February 21st in the Habig Center Community Room. The doors will open at 4 PM and dinner begins at 4:30 PM. The event is for free and is exclusively for Dubois County Residents who are Widows and Widowers, however, if someone does not feel comfortable attending alone, they will be accommodated.
To RSVP or for more information, contact Candy Neal at (812) 630-6758.
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