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A Letter From Our Founder
As we close out another year at Empower4Life, I find myself filled with gratitude for our community, our volunteers, our partners, and the countless individuals who believe that compassion, when paired with action, truly changes lives.
The end of 2025 marked an especially meaningful season for our organization. Over the past year, we’ve continued to show up consistently for families experiencing homelessness not just in moments of crisis, but in the everyday, often unseen spaces where dignity, stability, and hope begin to take root. From early childhood education and youth engagement to food security and weekly acts of service, our mission has never felt more alive.
This year also brought growth… the kind that asks us to pause, reflect, and evolve. With that growth, I’m excited to share that Empower4Life has a new mailing address. Our new address represents more than a change of location; it symbolizes a stronger foundation, increased accessibility, and the next chapter of our organization as we continue expanding our reach and impact.
Alongside this milestone, you’ll notice a refreshed tagline and updated logos throughout this newsletter. These updates reflect who we are today and where we’re going, grounded in purpose, energized by possibility, and deeply committed to empowering individuals and families to thrive beyond their circumstances.
As we look ahead into 2026, our focus remains clear: deepen our programs, strengthen our partnerships, and serve more people with intention and care. We are expanding initiatives like Take Action Thursday, investing in early intervention through education, and continuing to inspire the next generation of changemakers through Ignite. None of this would be possible without you.
Thank you for walking alongside us, for believing in this mission, for giving your time and resources, and for being part of a community that chooses empathy, action, and hope. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and even more excited for what lies ahead.
With gratitude and love,
Jennifer Cox Founder, Empower4Life
New Tagline Reveal
\We’re thrilled to share an exciting update with our Empower4Life community: the launch of our new tagline, “Lifting Limits. Lighting Paths.” This change reflects how far we’ve come as an organization and the growing impact of our work. Every day, we help remove obstacles that stand in the way of children reaching their full potential, while lighting the way forward with hope, confidence, and opportunity. As we continue to grow, this tagline beautifully captures both who we are today and the path we’re building for the future. You’ll start to see our new tagline showing up across our website, social media, and printed materials over the next few months as we bring this refreshed message to life.
Recent Recaps
As we closed out the final months of 2025, we’re grateful for a powerful season of community, compassion, and hands-on impact. Thanks to your generosity, dedication, and volunteer spirit, Empower4Life had an incredibly meaningful end of the year. Here are just a few of the highlights that made this season special:
🏓 First-Ever Pickleball Tournament — Fun and Fundraising
In November, we hosted our very first Empower4Life Pickleball Tournament at Dill Dinkers, bringing together players, volunteers, and supporters for an energetic fall fundraiser that united sport with service. Whether folks were seasoned players or brand new to the court, the event was about community first and raising vital resources for our mission. The smiles, competition, and shared purpose made it a fantastic kickoff to our holiday season of giving.
🦃 Thanksgiving Meal Mission — Feeding Hearts and Homes
Our Thanksgiving Meal Mission once again spread warmth and care across Baltimore and Cecil County, preparing and delivering hot, wholesome meals to 125 families who might otherwise go without. Each box included festive crafts, place settings, and thoughtful extras to make the holiday feel truly special because no one should have to wonder where their Thanksgiving dinner comes from. In additional to the meal + extras, each family also received a bag of non-perishable food items thanks to community donors. Volunteers stepped up as sponsors, bakers, drivers, and cheerleaders, embodying the spirit of gratitude in action.
🎁 Holiday Drive — Bringing Joy to 285+ Children
This year’s Holiday Drive was our largest and most impactful to date. Together, our community came alongside 286 children across 7 partner shelters and 1 school system, ensuring every child experienced the joy, dignity, and magic of the holiday season. Supporters adopted children, donated clothing and toys, filled stockings, wrapped gifts, and helped deliver smiles to families who needed them most.
The scale of generosity was extraordinary: 850 volunteers gave their time over multiple weekends, 66 community groups participated, and more than 3,200 additional gifts were donated bringing the total value of this initiative to $121,300. What made this drive truly special wasn’t just the numbers, but the care behind every single gift.
One mother shared what the Holiday Drive meant to her family:
“Seeing the joy, excitement, and pure happiness on my son’s face is something I will hold in my heart forever. In a time when things felt heavy, you reminded us that there are truly amazing people in this world.”
Moments like these remind us why this work matters. The Holiday Drive is about more than gifts... it’s about showing children and families that they are seen, valued, and deeply cared for.
🧒 Infants & Toddlers Program — Growing, Learning, Laughing
Our Infants & Toddlers program continued its winter session at Eastside Shelter, bringing structured learning, skill development, and interactive play to our youngest learners yet (ages 0-5). Designed to support early cognitive and social growth, this program continues to bridge gaps and build confidence in kids during their most formative years, a foundation we believe contributes to long-term success. This fall our team worked with 20 families, including 20 kids (13 of which were 2 years old or younger) and continues to move towards growth in the spring of 2026.
📚 Education in Action — Another Session of Growth
Our fall educational session (October–December) reached 278 children through 98 evening programs across the shelters we serve. Supported by a dedicated team of 20 teachers, each session combined learning, movement, and fun — from mindfulness and social-emotional lessons to dance, Zumba, Pound! Fit, Improv, and team-building activities.
With spring planning underway, we’re excited to expand both the number and variety of offerings as we continue creating meaningful learning experiences for the children we serve.
💛 Take Action Thursday — Showing Up When It Matters Most
Every Thursday, our community comes together to meet real needs in real time through Take Action Thursday. In 2025 alone, this initiative helped distribute 1,511 essential items directly to children and families, along with 500+ items supporting larger programs like summer camps and educational sessions. Through 15 community rallies for individual families and 11 rallies for program needs, generosity turned quickly into action.
One moment at the end of the year reminded us just how powerful this model can be. When a high school student shared that her mother didn’t have enough formula to feed her infant sister, a school social worker reached out for help. We posted the need through Take Action Thursday and within days, donors stepped in to provide a full month’s supply of formula for the baby.
As we look to 2026, we’re excited to expand Take Action Thursday even further by introducing new care kits and increasing our weekly reach continuing this steady rhythm of compassion our community has made possible.
🔥 Ignite — Inspiring Young Changemakers
Our Ignite program wrapped up another impactful year, including a big offsite session with the Fallston Lacrosse Club that introduced youth to our mission and inspired them to contribute to their community in meaningful ways. Through LEARN-DO-BE sessions, young participants are not just learning about societal challenges like poverty and homelessness, they’re being empowered to act and lead with compassion.
In only its second full year, Ignite reached over 650 children through presentations, private groups, and targeted sessions. Contact megan@empower4lifemd.org if you are interested in scheduling an Ignite session for your group
Staff Spotlight: Lauren Christopher
Lauren serves in many roles for Empower4Life. She is an Educational Lead at Harford Family House, teaches health and wellness programming at multiple of our other partner shelters, and sits on the staff for Ignite's Kindness Camp. She designed and implemented Empower's Infants and Toddlers program at Eastside, targeting early intervention and parent education for children 0-5 and their parents/guardians. Lauren was also an integral part of our 2025 Camp Quest Staff, helping plan the activities and serving as a Camp Counselor during our first ever overnight camp. She is also a consistent volunteer for the Holiday and Back to School drives. Lauren is a passionate advocate who is always aiming to help our programs grow. In her off time she is a wife and mom to four kids, who also spend a lot of time volunteering with Empower!
Volunteer Opportunities
We are always looking for passionate volunteers who want to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the children and families we serve. Whether you can support programs, events, or special initiatives, your time and talents help further our mission. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to learn how you can volunteer with Empower4Life.
Group Volunteering: Have a group interested in volunteering? Email Ashley at ashley@empower4lifemd.org for more information. We’d love to have you on board!
We’re excited to share that Empower4Life can now receive physical mail directly at our headquarters! Please update your records and send any future correspondence to:
12037 BelAir Road, Suite B, Kingsville, MD 21087.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS - EVENT ALERT!
Save the Date! 2026 Golf Tournament
Mark your calendar for the 2026 Empower4Life Charity Golf Tournament on April 30: same course, same great cause. Join us for another memorable day of golf, community, and impact. More details coming soon, and keep an eye out on social and in your inbox when registration officially opens!
Save the Date! 2026 Empower4Life Gala
Save the date and get ready for another unforgettable night! 🎉 Our 2026 Empower4Life Gala is officially on the calendar, and we are thrilled to share that we are returning to the Boumi Temple... yes, we heard your feedback!
Join us on Thursday, October 15, 2026 for an evening filled with purpose, celebration, and impact as we come together once again to support children experiencing homelessness. More details to come, but for now, mark your calendars. We cannot wait to celebrate with you!
Upcoming Ignite Initiatives
Save the Date: Kindness Camp 2026!
Kindness Camp is returning in Summer 2026, and we can’t wait to welcome our next group of changemakers! Mark your calendars for July 20–24, 2026, from 9:00 AM–12:30 PM, for a week of learning, creativity, and connection designed for children ages 8–11.
Registration is coming soon—stay tuned for more details!
Book of the Month Club
The Ignite Program is excited to launch a monthly Kindness Book Club! Each month, we’ll select a children’s book that reflects Ignite’s mission to spread kindness by igniting young hearts with the knowledge, skills, and compassion needed to create a lasting impact in their communities.
🧡 Our first book: The Kindness Book by Todd Parr
This bright, joyful book introduces young children to simple, everyday ways they can show kindness to others. Perfect for Pre-K and early elementary readers, it reminds kids that even small acts can make a big difference.
🧡 Our next book: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
This heartwarming story follows a lonely man whose life is transformed by one small act of kindness. Perfect for early elementary readers, it beautifully shows how love, generosity, and community can brighten someone’s world—and how kindness has the power to spread.
Thank you for being part of the Empower4Life story. Whether you support us by volunteering, donating, sharing our mission, or simply taking the time to stay connected, your involvement matters more than you know. Because of you, families are met with dignity, children are given opportunity, and hope continues to grow even in the hardest seasons.
As we step into a new year with renewed vision and expanded impact, we’re excited for what’s ahead and deeply grateful for the community that makes it possible. We look forward to continuing this work together and creating even more moments of connection, care, and change in the months to come.
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