Our mission & Vision

Sarah's journey to empowerment is REAL LIFE! Inspired by her personal transformation from a shy to confident teen at summer camp, she has dreamt of creating Empower Camp for most of her life. In 2016, Sarah hiked 100km across the Gobi Desert and learned that her most powerful asset is HERSELF! On this adventure, she dug deep into who she is with determination and emerged a more confident woman. The trek across the desert was the triggering experience to make Empower Camp a reality. 

Sarah has 15+ years of experience as a Camp Counselor and 10+ years of experience as a Camp Director.

Sarah has been recognized for her leadership with awards such as the Buffalo Niagara Spotlight Professional (2019), New York State Women Inc. Women in Leadership Award (2018) and Buffalo Business First's 30 Under 30 Honoree (2017). 

Sarah loves spending her time with her family in the great outdoors. She loves hiking, especially in the Adirondack Mountains.

 Debra (Debbie) Brown reconnected with the founder of Empower Camp, Sarah, after many years of attending camp together as teens. Summer camp to Debbie was a place that she could feel like her authentic self and it taught her life long skills about team building and independence. She feels as though empowering young women is so important for them to thrive in today’s demanding world.
 

After obtaining her MBA in Finance from Niagara University, Debbie started her career at WNY Asset Management where she is currently a Senior Wealth Manager. She hopes to utilize her skills in finance as the Fundraising Lead for Empower Camp.
 

Debbie enjoys spending time with her family and her golden retriever, Marvin. She also loves to bake and practice yoga. She is passionate about women breaking glass ceilings and unleashing their true potential.

Lindsay Amico is a mindset and career coach and loves empowering others- especially young women. She began her career as a coach to navigate her own doubt and limitations, and now helps others to do the same. She believes it's crucial to teach mindfulness, thought management, and self care at a young age, especially for teenage girls. Her goal is to create a generation of confident, empowered women who can embrace their fear and express their authentic selves in this world.  

Kelly Cosentino is passionate about showing young women how to set high goals and meet them. 2023-2024 is Kelly’s first year on the board and volunteering with Empower Camp.  

Kelly is an attorney and has spent over ten years training and managing newer associates, including young female attorneys early on in their careers.  As a result, she has firsthand experience in helping women reach and achieve their dreams and accomplishments.   

In her personal life, Kelly loves reading, yoga and traveling with her husband and three children. As a mother to two daughters, Kelly is excited to be a part of Empower and its fantastic mission for all young women.

  Katie is extremely passionate about helping women succeed and thrive. She has been a camp counselor at every Empower Camp, and knows that the power of listening and trusting your inner voice is the key to success. From those experiences, Katie strives to impart that knowledge of believing in one’s self to have the courage to stand up and share their thoughts and passion. 

Katie has several years of leadership experience at HSBC, where she takes the initiative on projects and continuously trains and develops her colleagues to have the knowledge and confidence needed to excel in their roles. 

Katie is also a proud mom to two little boys. She loves playing board games and everything Disney! 

Eileen Argona joins our Board of Directors as our Programming Lead. She has boundless enthusiasm for creating a lively, energetic and memorable camp experience for all. Eileen has 10+ years of experience as a Camp Counselor and Assistant Director. 

  Jacyndra Jahnke (JJ) is passionate about female empowerment. JJ wants to ensure that no young girl questions her own worth. She has volunteered with Empower Camp since 2020.  

JJ has a career in banking where she currently manages.  She also has several project management certifications.  She is always seeking growth and yearns to learn everyday.  

In her personal life, JJ loves to travel with her husband, read suspense thrillers,  and play video games.

 Emma Hartman has a fierce love for camp life! She currently is the camp nurse but also has a decade's worth of camp experience as a camper, counselor, and director. Emma believes this helps her to bring the perfect mix of fun and professionalism to being the camp nurse! 

Emma is a Registered Nurse with experience in primary care, cardiac care, and women's' health. She has been a counselor and helped developed the Empower Camp program since 2017. 

If you catch Emma in her free time, she may be calculating horoscopes, reading a thick book, or singing loudly to oxidize the trees!  

"I want to let young women know that beauty means so many different things. When I was a young woman, I spent so much time thinking I was "less than" instead of celebrating my unique qualities! My hope is to help other young women skip the "less than" phase and get right to being proud of their differences."

  Jim Bachwitz saw the Empower Camp idea emerge from countless Daughter-Father walks and talks and has been an ardent supporter of the organization since day one. Conducting feasibility research for Empower Camp, Jim identified there was significant interest in the Empower camp concept and he provided strategic launch guidance. 

Jim is the Founder and President of JRB Insights, a company that provides marketing research solutions. Currently serving on the board of Empower Camp, Jim also serves on the boards of Just Buffalo Literary Center and Ujima Theatre Company.

A lifelong advocate for women empowerment, Jim is the proud father of two strong, independent and driven daughters, and also a determined, exceptional son.

“Our only limitation in life is the doubt we create in our own mind. We all are capable of scaling the highest mountains and walking the most challenging paths as long as we continually push doubt out of our minds.”