30 / matters magazine / winter 2019 walking her dog in her Maplewood neighborhood. Her 14-month-long marriage was failing, and she says the book is helping her understand she is not alone in all the challenges she faces. Lengua had been feeling isolated living as a single woman in the ’burbs, and she was grateful to learn of the in- person support group, which provides much more than just referrals for law- yers or good health insurance. “The group has helped me gain more friendships and open my net- work of friends,” Lengua says. “It just was so great to see the strong women, how we all keep it going in our lives even in hard times.” Riss says the group has helped hun- dreds of women transform their lives, “making it possible for them to not only get through one of the most emo- tionally challenging times they’ve ever faced but also to support other women in the process.” Maplewood resident Cori Lynn Campbell is currently navigating the negotiating phase of her divorce with her husband of almost 13 years. She credits the Maple wood Divorce Club with intro- ducing her to Kaden Dean, who helped her find a job. “I was afraid I’d have to move with the kids to the Midwest where my family is and where I could stretch alimony a lot farther than I can here,” Camp- bell told the sup- port group. And that’s when Kaden Dean told her about a middle- school perform- ing-arts teacher opening at her school in Newark. “Two weeks later I had the job. Benefits, pension. And further- ing the cause of social justice, which is something that’s very important to me,” Campbell says. “It was a crazy two weeks. I didn’t even have a resume. But Eileen walked me through every- thing....[She] empathized with my sit- uation and genuinely wanted to help.” Sockwell says the group is still going strong, with four new members join- ing almost every week. She and Riss have plans to start offshoot groups for women at varying stages of the divorce process. And she says they’re current- ly developing a TV show around the novel idea of the Maplewood Divorce Club with hopes of reaching a larger audience. “Learn all you can and reach out to others who have been through divorce for support,” Sockwell says. “You don’t have to go it alone, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” Cheryl Silver is a theater enthusiast and runner who previously worked as a jour- nalist in central Illinois before moving with her husband and three children to South Orange in 2016. Lori Lengua says the book is helping her understand she is not alone in all the challenges she faces. Photo by Colleen Arancio. Cori Lynn Campbell with children Calliope and Xander Campbell- Singer. Photo by Jessica Walsh. South Orange Country Day School Montessori Education Since 1964 Preschool · Pre-R Rindergarten Full and Half Day Sessions Extended Day Hours Available School Year and Summer Camp Session · Largest Outdoor Play Space REGISTER NOW FOR CAMP! socds.com/programs 973.762.6451 Visit seeds.com · Email learn@socds.com 461 Vose Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079