Southern California

Los Angeles Area

Empower proudly serves the following cities in the Los Angeles area: Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and San Fernando.

Within our service area are the following neighbordhoods: Arleta, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Lake View Terrace, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, North Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City, Porter Ranch, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sun Valley, Sunland, Sylmar, Tarzana, Toluca Lake, Tujunga, Van Nuys, Valley Village, West Hills, Winnetka, and Woodland Hills.

San Diego Area

Empower proudly serves San Diego’s North County.

Within our service area are the following cities: Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Oceanside, Vista, Escondido, Poway, and San Marcos, as well as the northern part of San Diego.

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 Southern California 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 actively accepting applications for Mentors who have experienced the loss of a father.

If you’re a family interested in our programs, enrollment is open! Our local Program Coordinator is eager to connect with you.

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 Southern California 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

Shelby Enlow

Program Coordinator, Father Loss

Shelby is a native Hoosier who’s also lived in Chicago, graduating from DePaul University’s film school and studying at improv and sketch institutions like The Second City, iO, and The Groundlings. She now lives in Los Angeles working as a showrunner’s assistant in comedy writers rooms. She is still loyal to the Cubs and refuses to become a Dodgers fan. She lost her father at 24 to c-diff, and figured she needed a better way to honor him than getting a Pepsi every Father’s Day and watching The Sopranos — which is where Empower came in. Shelby loves that Empower creates community around loss, which is really the only way to move through it — in creating greater purpose through community, empathy, and connection.

Shelby also plays the banjo and has a Boston Terrier named Hazel who likes untying shoelaces, if anybody has some they’d like to share.

Shelby can be contacted via email at: shelby@weareempower.org

Kelsea Archambault

Program Coordinator, Mother Loss

Kelsea Archambault experienced profound loss as a young adult, losing her best friend and amazing mom, Jean, to breast cancer at 19, and her closest friend and dad, Tom, just four years later. Navigating immense grief, Kelsea is dedicated to living life to the fullest and is passionate about giving back. She is committed to supporting youth – helping them see that, while loss is painful, it can also be transformative. Through the Empower community, she keeps the memories of loved ones alive, holds space for connection, and serves as a mentor to a resilient and creative young woman. Over the past four years, Kelsea and her mentee have built a unique friendship, learning and growing together. Currently based in Los Angeles with her fiancé and their new puppy, Kelsea loves to travel, spend time at the beach (especially with her puppy, Sandy), cheer on Boston sports teams, and unwind with a hot yoga class at the end of a busy week.

Kelsea can be contacted via email: kelsea@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.