Denver Area

Denver Metro + Boulder

Empower proudly serves the Denver Metropolitan area and Boulder in the state of Colorado.

PROGRAMS OFFERED

We provide children, teens, and young adults relief from grief and guide them through life following the loss of a parent. Our support comes in two forms: Events and Mentorship.

We host big events and small get togethers to remind children they are not alone, and we offer a unique Mentor program where we pair children, teens and young adults with positive role models who have also experienced parent loss.

We are a support system providing community and connection. We’ve been there, we get it, and we can help make the journey more manageable.

Our programs, by design, are gender-specific. Below, we will outline our specific service offerings for each of our groups. In the Denver area, our programs are based on enrollment and volunteer availability.

Girls + Young Women/Non-Binary Youth of Mother Loss

We are actively accepting applications for Mentors who have experienced the loss of a mother.

If you’re a family interested in our programs, enrollment is open! Our local Program Coordinator is eager to connect with you and share more about our Mentor Program and Year-Round Events.

Boys + Young Men/Non-Binary Youth of Mother Loss

We are currently accepting applications for Mentors who have experienced the loss of a mother.

We are expanding our programs in your area and will be launching our Mentor Program and events soon. Contact Ali Thomas at: ali@weareempower.org to learn more!

Girls + Young Women/Non-Binary Youth of Father Loss

We are currently accepting applications for Mentors who have experienced the loss of a father.

If you are a family in need of support, we would be honored to meet with you to share more about our program offerings. While we are still growing in your area, please note that our offerings may be more limited, but they are still available.

Boys + Young Men/Non-Binary Youth of Father Loss

We are currently accepting applications for Mentors who have experienced the loss of a father.

We are expanding our programs in your area and will be launching our Mentor Program and events soon. Contact Ali Thomas at: ali@weareempower.org to learn more!

EVENT INFORMATION

We hold year-round events in Denver for children and young adults who have lost a parent. Hosted by local Mentors and volunteers through the software, Meetup, these get togethers help Empower members connect and build community. Currently, we offer events for girls, young women, and non-binary youth affected by mother and father loss, with plans to expand to boys and young men in the future.

Volunteer for Events Join our Meetup Group!

YOUR PROGRAM STAFF

Sorina Brackett

Program Coordinator, Mother Loss + Father Loss

Sorina has lived in Denver for the last four years. She moved from the East Coast after spending close to two decades in Massachusetts. Sorina joined Empower last October when she was looking for a mentoring program. Losing a parent is a club that no one wants to join. She’s found that people will try to understand, and they will try to sympathize but until you have felt that loss, that understanding isn’t there.

Sorina’s mom, Sophia, battled breast cancer for many years, going into remission before the cancer spread again. A few years later, her father, Eric, died suddenly from liver cancer. Since then, she’s missed her parents at all the big events in life, but she missed them even more during each parenting milestone. There are days she would love to call her mom and ask her silly baby questions or days she knows my Dad would have asked to see a million photos of her son. Andrew Garfield, who lost his mother to cancer said, “I hope this grief stays with me because it’s all of the unexpressed love that I didn’t get to tell her.” That is one of the reasons Sorina loves working with Empower, it allows her to honor and express her love for her parents every day.

Sorina can be contacted via email at: sorina@weareempower.org

Ali Thomas

Mentor Program Manager

Ali Thomas is a dynamic leader and manager of all field coordinators across the globe. Ali is a longtime friend of founder Cara Belvin and experienced the loss of her mother Doreen to cancer when she was 17 years old. Ali joined Empower’s efforts as a volunteer in 2020 and later joined Empower as the Mentor Program Manager. Ali’s passion is unwavering and was a driving force in the Empower expansion to serve all children of any parent loss.

Ali attended Eastern Connecticut State University and spent over 20 years building and developing teams in the public and private sector and worked with various leadership groups at the University of Oklahoma.

Ali can be contacted via email at: ali@weareempower.org.

Emily Seneca

Mentor Program Administrative Assistant

Emily Seneca lost her beautiful Mom to cancer at the age of 9, just two weeks before she turned 10, and she truly understands the profound impact of grief. She is passionate about Empower and its dedication to fostering a sense of community with youth and volunteers who have experienced the loss of their parent(s) and showing others that they are not alone in this journey. This kind of support is something she so wished she had at a young age, as she didn’t meet another woman who had also lost their mom until later in life. She is local to Champaign, Illinois, living with her husband and their two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, hiking, bike riding, crafting, and songwriting.

If you have any questions about your Mentor Application or screening materials, Emily can be contacted via email at: eseneca@weareempower.org.