The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls is celebrating 10 years of mentoring girls who want to be in a rock band. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

Backed up by me on drums, and Karla Schickele on bass, 13-year-old Willow Bennison showed off her stuff on guitar. She plays with a band called Harsh Crowd, which met at the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.  

"We kind of stand as a product of what rock camp does," Willow says.

It's a nonprofit music and mentoring program for girls and women founded 10 years ago, with instruction during the summer and after school. Workshops are taught by adult volunteers.

"It's really at our program where it's not an afterthought or a girl doesn't have to fight to get behind the drum kit," says Schickele, who is the executive director and co-founder of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. "The girls are not added to the band. They are the band in the first place."

The organization has its 10th anniversary benefit coming up on December 4, of course, paying tribute to women in music.

"Including Santigold and Kathleen Hanna, and we're also going to be honoring Chiara de Blasio, the mayor's daughter, who was actually a camper at our very first camp session," Schickele says.

She played in a band called "Hellish Relish."

The camp is named for one of the first women of rock 'n roll, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. It serves more than 500 girls each year citywide. Schickele says they would like to do reach even more.

"We can easily double that number and triple it, and find more ways to do programs in more communities," she says.

So more girls like Willow can rock out. Her mom, Emmy Gay, can attest to the impact it has on her daughter.

"Something that I didn't have. It made her aware that there's another way to be in the world as a young woman," Gay says.

"It empowers me to be myself and do what I want to do," Willow says. "Even though I'm a girl, I can do whatever I want,"

For more information about the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls and the benefit coming up on December 4, head to their website, williemaerockcamp.org.