Meet the Team
​
Hello, we are James and Theresa C. Muldrow. We have initiated an endeavor that we call Two Checks for Surviving Spouses. What do we mean by that? Please read on!
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
JAMES' STORY
My wife and I truly believe in education, and we realized that for our three lovely kids to make it in this world they needed to get a good technical or college degree. To offset anticipated college expenses, we determined that I would take on a part-time job with flexible hours; so, I got a job in a grocery store.
At the store I met many people. I remember one elderly couple who were immaculate and always purchased the highest quality foods. Eventually I noticed that I hadn’t seen the wife for a while and the husband was now asking for close-dated, marked-down, and reduced-price merchandise. My curiosity overtook me and I finally asked about his wife. He informed me that his wife had passed away and he had lost her Social Security check which put him into poverty. Shocked! I was under the impression that both checks would continue even after a spouse passed away. I decided to conduct research and found that this was the fate of millions of Americans.
​
Some people know, but many do not realize that if your spouse passes away and you are both on Social Security, that you would only be eligible to receive the larger of the two checks. In many cases, the loss of the second check could cause a severe financial hardship on the surviving spouse.
​
This is money that your spouse worked hard to set aside hoping that you would be secure in your future, yet Social Security takes it away. Congress has committees that re-evaluate Social Security each year, but all we hear is how they seek to make changes by cutting rather than focusing on improving the system.
Now, we are not here to sell you on some magic potion that will make you younger, stronger, more attractive, or healthier, for if I had that potion, I would surely use it on my aching knees. We simply want to encourage you to contact your three members of Congress (1 Representative, 2 Senators) and let them know that you are for “2 Checks for Surviving Spouses”. Ask them to sponsor such a bill. Both spouses worked hard during their lifetimes to earn money to ensure that their surviving spouse could continue to live a financially secure life.
After many years of dedicated work, you are sincerely asked to contact your members of Congress person to let them know that you support this endeavor. Our website will help you find the contact information for your members of Congress.
“2 Checks for Surviving Spouses” is our first initiative under The CHAT Group, which is a grassroots organization for Citizens Helping Americans Thrive.
​
We are not associated with any political, religious or social establishment. We are not selling insurance nor are membership dues required. We are willing to work with similar groups to promote the desperately needed objective of two checks.
We are advocates for change to improve the lives of Americans. We want to improve the Social Security System by making this change for 2 checks. The more voices and support we can gather in this effort, the better our chances are to change the financial future of millions of American citizens.
​
People are living longer. Now you and your spouse may live a long and prosperous life after retirement, and both may receive Social Security benefits. But imagine, if your spouse passed away you may feel as though you were penalized by losing that anticipated Social Security income of your spouse. This is not fair.
​
Can we count on you?
​
There are three methods available for those who would like to donate to this cause.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
A SMALL GROUP WITH A BIG CHALLENGE
As I stated earlier, my first interest in 2 Checks for Surviving Spouses was when the gentlemen at the grocery store told me about his case. As I became more interested in his situation, I noticed even though Social Security Survivor benefits will probably affect the largest portion of Americans in one way or another, there hasn’t been any real changes in policy to reflect the changes in our modern society.
No other organizations that we are aware of is working to change the Social Security system by advocating for two checks.
Some may wonder why this advocacy group is not a non-profit organization. Once I started looking at the choices to set up the organization, profit or non-profit, it was easier to set up a for profit. But our focus is to help others, not to make a profit. We want to help others by getting the appropriate staff to do research so that the information we share is accurate and up to date.
Some people feel more comfortable when they donate to big, non-profit organizations. But even these organizations started out small. Some, unfortunately, have lost their way with Lear jets, highly paid executives, and huge staffs.
Many citizens have been advised to prepare for the retirement by stashing away their money. But statistics have shown that many Americans just can’t afford to set back funds for retirement.
This cause can benefit many people and can be implemented at the lowest possible cost. Now our organization would like to have donations and funds so that we can speak to groups of all sizes, maintain this beautiful website, and grow our professional and volunteer staff. Our main objective is for you to contact Congress about 2 checks. We are not requiring a long-term commitment in funding. We would love for people to make a one-time donation to our organization, but more importantly, we want to make it easier for you to contact your members of Congress.
Some may feel that small organizations do not have the capability to lobby the appropriate people who are in authority to make changes. Well, our organization is not a lobbyist group but a group to encourage you, the American citizens, to spend three minutes to contact to your members of Congress and tell them to update the policy for Social Security. Our platform makes it easy to do so.
Our objective is to help the Social Security recipients and the best way to do this is to arm them with the facts.
​
​
​
​
James Muldrow and Theresa C. Muldrow
Co-Founders of The CHAT Group: Citizens Helping Americans Thrive
​
​
​
A New Initiative: 2 Checks for Surviving Spouses
​
​
​
​
