AS SEEN ON:
ONE MISSION WITH TWO PROGRAMS
empowerHER® is an international nonprofit with a very specific mission — to empower, support, and connect children and young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent.
We provide in-person events that remind them they are not alone in their grief, and a unique one-on-one mentor program with positive role models from the community who help show them that loss is survivable.
empowerHER programs are non-therapeutic, community-based, and volunteer-driven and remain at no charge to the family.
“It changed my outlook on everything. In high school, if you lose your mom, that becomes what defines you — you become the girl whose mom passed away. But, I’ve learned that’s not what defines you, it’s the strength you gain and how you handle adversity.”
GET STARTED
We have built this global community to help remind everyone that they are not alone in their grief.
We see you. We hear you.
Today, enrollment is open for all children + young adults through age 24 who have experienced the loss of a parent. Programs vary based on region and each city listed below is considered an active region.
Boca Raton, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Hartford,
Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, DC
Additional cities will roll out throughout the year as we build robust Ambassador programs!
Enrollment is simple + free. Children under age 14 must be enrolled by an adult while children and young adults, age 14 - 24 may enroll themselves. ENROLL TODAY
I AM A . . .
“When a child loses a parent, the loss doesn't end there. Beyond initial grief, it becomes an ongoing challenge to navigate adolescence and to know how to transition into adulthood without that additional parental guidance. As mentors in the eH program, we are given the unique opportunity to serve as a reminder to the kids that they are not alone in their grief.”
—empowerHER Mentor
EVENTS
2023 LUMINARIA
empowerHER® will bring hope + optimism to various cities across the country this Spring with magical displays of personalized luminaria bags IN HONOR OF or IN MEMORY OF loved ones. LUMINARIA raises critical operating funds and awareness of empowerHER to help reach the families who would benefit from our programs.
2023 empowerHER® Mother's Day Retreat
The empowerHER® Annual Mother’s Day Retreat is our flagship event, and will ber held in person in different cities across the country this Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14th. Hundreds of brave, beautiful souls joined in-person or virtually for connection, healing + fun, while being reminded they are not alone in their grief!
Mentor PROGRAM Spotlight
Ann Marie + Molly
Ann Marie grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts and today lives in Los Angeles. She lost her brave, beautiful mother to brain cancer when she was 10 years old.
Her Mentee Match is Molly, age 12, from Boston who lost her brave, beautiful mother Brittan at the age of 9.
As a high schooler, Ann Marie babysat Molly and her younger sister and became very close to the family. She is proud to serve as Molly’s empowerHER® Mentor today and be the kind of support she was desperate for when she was Molly’s age.
Kara + Megan
Matched just over a year ago, Megan and Kara have been attached at the hip ever since. They absolutely love getting dinner together which is almost always followed by ice cream/froyo.
Meg and Kara are connected by their shared stories of love + loss and yet so much more. They lean on each other for support and connection and Kara is an inspirational reminder that "loss is survivable."
Molly + Skyler
This dynamic-duo loves to watch the Sound of Music, bake a sweet treat, or just hang out and spend quality time together! Sky + Molly have been matched for over three years, but they always make sure to try new things together, like hiking or learning a card game. They have gone to many fun empowerHER® events together, like the Mother's Day Retreat, hiking and an acting class! During Covid, Molly + Sky got creative in developing their special Mentor-Mentee connection, watching the Good Witch together through Zoom. 💙
A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER:
Founder + CEO, Cara Belvin
It’s OK to talk about loss.
At empowerHER® we know that talking about loss can be uncomfortable. But we also know it's uncomfortable to pretend the loss didn't happen at all.
So, what is the best way to talk about loss? We won't pretend to have all the answers. Instead, I want to share a simple gesture that made all the difference to me: “When I was 9 my mom died. No one knew how to talk about it, so no one did. Except my neighbor Sam…
Sam didn't know what to say and was afraid to say the wrong thing. So on Mother's Day, when I was in the 5th grade, she gave me Blow Pops, my very favorite treat!
It was that simple - she handed me a bag of Blow Pops and that was that. She didn't talk about my mom and neither did I. To me, the Blow Pops said, "I'm here if you need a friend or if you need to talk."
Sam was very brave and the thing is, Sam didn't need to be afraid because she could never say the wrong thing if she said it out of love.
And, do you know what? She gave me Blow Pops every Mother's Day for the next ten years! It was the greatest source of comfort for me. And Sam and I are still the best of friends today.
Cara frequently presents on issues surrounding adversity, women’s empowerment, and social entrepreneurship. As the founder of the only nonprofit in the world dedicated to girls of mother loss, Cara’s efforts have been featured on the Today Show, CNN, ABC, PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff, in Parent's Magazine and more.
Interested in reaching out? Feel free to contact Cara by email.
Get Involved
