Here at Dotty, we are all about adventures and comfortable exploring, but another topic that is very dear to our heart is supporting children and helping them find hope during those tough times.

One of our dearest partners is a charity called empowerHER, a charity set up by Cara Belvin, with a mission to support, connect, and empower girls and young women who have experienced the loss of their mothers.

With two members of our Dotty family having personally experienced the loss of a parent as a child, we know all too well of the deep despair, and feeling of isolation that losing a parent as a child can bring about. This is why we are so passionate about the great work that Cara Belvin and her team at empowerHER are doing to support these children and young adults.

Starting in the US, after overcoming her own experience of loss as a child, Cara set up empowerHER with a single mission. To support, connect and empower girls and young women to give them a lifeline of hope through the community that empowerHER has created.

Having lost her own mother at the tender age of 9 years old, Cara created a charity which could provide the support she had longed for as a child, and so empowerHER was born.

With humble beginnings, starting in a small coastal town in Massachusetts, where she held her very first Mother’s Day Retreat, bringing together the teenagers who had lost their mothers in her small town on Mother’s Day. Now, Cara and her charity empowerHER are fully established in the US, with annual events including their Mother’s Day Retreat, and a unique Mentor Program. Here girls are matched with an adult (25yrs+) who has also experienced the loss of their mother at an early age, showing that loss is survivable.

EmpowerHER has been featured on the Today Show, CNN, PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff, and in Parent’s Magazine in the US, and is now looking to gain ground in the UK.

With their first event in the UK last October, empowerHER joined forces with our friends Alice and Olivia featuring our Dotty fashion collection. Our founders, Alice and Georgie, enjoyed celebrating with the empowerHER team at their cocktail event to help bring the wonderful work of empowerHER to the UK.

Since then, Cara and her team at empowerHER have held a successful Mother’s Day Retreat in  London, bringing their mission to empower and support children a bit closer to home!

Their Mentor Program has also launched in the UK. This is a great way to bring hope to children and young adults who are in the midst of grief. EmpowerHER Mentors offer non-therapeutic support to serve as someone who can understand the complexity and confusion that grief can bring.

Mentor meet-ups can be virtual or in-person, and are a great way to help build connection and community even in the darkest of times. Mentors can help by easing more difficult anniversaries such as birthdays, as well as simply offering a hand of friendship. One coupling involves going for dinner which is almost always followed by froyo or ice cream! Another pairing includes trying new things together like an acting class.

If you would like to apply to be a Mentor or find out more, visit empowerHER online.

To celebrate their launch into the UK, empowerHER are holding another cocktail event this October. Join the empowerHER team on Tuesday 10th October at 7pm, in the Thames Rowing Club, London for cocktails and light bites. Hear powerful stories of loss and love from those who have been impacted by empowerHER UK’s life-changing program. There will also be live musicians. It is a chance to learn more about the work they are doing and meet like-minded people.

If you would like to get involved, or know anyone who would like to learn more, we encourage you to come along to their London event on Tuesday 10th Oct. As a keen supporter of this cause, we have a 50% off code that can be used to save 50% on the ticket price. Simply enter the code, DOTTY at checkout to redeem. All are welcome, and please reach out to the empowerHER team if you know of a girl or young woman who really needs this help and support right now.

EmpowerHER began with supporting girls who had lost their mothers, however their mission goes far beyond that. Cara and her team are now supporting all children and young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent. Join us in supporting their mission to empower all children and young adults to survive loss, and find the hope that life does go on, even when the unthinkable happens.

Want to know more about empowerHER founder Cara Belvin? We caught up with Cara earlier this year to discover more about her story. Read our 10-minutes with Cara to find out more.

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