NORWELL, Mass., April 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- empowerHER, a nonprofit organization serving young girls and women who have experienced the early loss of their mothers, today launched a series of Virtual Programs designed to connect, empower and support girls during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The first virtual event, a Fireside Chat, featured an interview with reality star Dayna Kathan of Vanderpump Rules to share her experience of mother loss and healing. To listen to the interview on demand, please visit HERE. Weekly programs will feature a variety of guest speakers, offer tips for managing anxiety and fear during this uncertain time and provide an unprecedented opportunity to connect girls across the globe who are silently suffering the significant loss of their mothers - a wound magnified for many during quarantine. Steadfast in its mission to minimize isolation and instill hope among girls and young women, empowerHER will continue programming online, rather than cancel or postpone. While COVID-19 marks an unprecedented time for all, empowerHER has seized the opportunity to extend programming to even more girls by offering virtual support to continue to build community and minimize isolation among young girls.
Specifically, empowerHER plans to execute the following programs virtually to ensure the safety and well-being of all girls while continuing to promote community:
- Annual Mother’s Day Retreat – This year, the beloved flagship event and sleepover on Mother’s Day weekend will take place virtually, and feature several of the girls’ favorite sessions including yoga class, make-up tutorials, a dance party and morning meditation together on Mother’s Day. Extraordinary instructors and speakers from across the globe will facilitate intimate and comforting experiences for the girls and reduce isolation and anxiety typically felt on this emotional holiday weekend. In the past, the event was restricted to girls living local to Boston. This year, girls and young women up to age 24 from across the globe have an opportunity to attend. Register HERE for the free online retreat.
- Fireside Chats – The newly formed conversation series will address the topic of mother loss and how we are defined, shaped and inspired by our mother’s death. The goal is to empower, support and connect girls and young women of all ages. The weekly virtual meet-ups will feature extraordinary guest speakers, offer valuable recommendations on how to best handle stress, anxiety and boredom throughout this quarantine and share stories of love and loss among girls who are desperate to connect during these uncertain times. Register HERE for these free online events.
- PopUpParty – empowerHER will continue to promote its sought after PopUpParty campaign by offering Party Hosts the opportunity to bring friends and family together in a series of virtual events! To host a PopUpParty, visit HERE.
- Tips & Weekly Communication to the Families: To address the stress this newfound isolation has on a single parent, empowerHER will send weekly tips for reducing anxiety, offer sample (and printable) schedules, as well as quick and easy recipes to help alleviate stress around meal time. Each communication is tailored to the family’s unique circumstances following mother loss.
empowerHER is one of the only nonprofit organization in the U.S. serving girls and young women of mother loss in a community-based, non-therapeutic and volunteer-driven model. Unlike anything else in the country, empowerHER offers programs completely free of charge to the family and rooted in a deep understanding of how it feels for a girl to lose her mother and what it will take to give her hope, strength and self-confidence. As every organization around the world is adapting to a new way of life, empowerHER will continue to reimagine how to deliver essential programming safely and effectively to all girls struggling with mother loss.
“Like every organization across the globe, we were faced with the very difficult decision to cease programming or redefine the way we fulfill our mission. As an organization that supports, empowers + connects girls of early mother loss, I assure you we are not stopping. In fact, we have found not only a silver lining to this situation, but a strategic advantage,” said Cara Belvin, founder, empowerHER. “We realize we can still bring comfort to girls whether in person or online and simply tailor our virtual programs to the needs of each girl. We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting the girls and their families, and connecting with our community, around the globe, consistently and safely to spread our message of hope.”
- Become a Mentor HERE
- To enroll a girl, visit HERE
- Get to know Founder Cara Belvin HERE
- Be inspired by the brave, beautiful girls of empowerHER HERE
About empowerHER
Headquartered in Norwell, MA, empowerHER was formed in 2013 by Cara Belvin with a very specific mission—to empower, support and connect girls and young women who have experienced the early loss of their mothers. empowerHER is growing across the country and what began on the east coast is now spreading across the country with the first new Chapter outside New England in Southern California. Today, empowerHER serves 200+ girls across New England and since launching in February, the Southern California Chapter serves 15 girls. empowerHER offers group events and retreats designed to build a supportive community and pairs girls in a 1:1 mentor program with positive role models from the community, many of whom have themselves experienced this profound loss. All programs and activities are provided at no charge to the family. empowerHER operates with a lean staff and hundreds of volunteers.
To learn more about empowerHER, visit www.empoweringher.org. To learn more about empowerHER’s expansion efforts, visit HERE. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Sarah Murray
Attune Communications
781-378-2674
sarah@attunecommunications.com