Valerie’s House, a nonprofit organization helping children grieve the loss of a loved one, is participating in National Children’s Grief Awareness Month in November with numerous activities to give grieving children a voice.
“Valerie’s House is joining other members of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief to acknowledge and support children who are grieving and their families,” said Valerie’s House Founder and CEO Angela Melvin Churchill. “We must stand with them and support them now more than ever.”
The month of activities will culminate in the second annual Sunset Soirée, Thursday, Nov. 20, which also is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day. The gala event at the Family is Forever home at 3551 Valerie’s House Way/Shoemaker Lane in Fort Myers will include cocktails and dinner honoring families and loved ones they have lost. Tickets are $250 per person and may be purchased at www.valerieshouse.org/events
Other events planned during the month:
- Valerie’s House is producing a podcast about how to support children who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
- Throughout National Children’s Grief Awareness Month, Valerie’s House will share personal stories from families with videos, interviews and other profiles posted on social media and on its website. They also are encouraging residents to share their own stories of loss on social media and how they have survived the trauma.
“We are asking everyone to join with us in helping to reach out to anyone you know who is grieving and tell them about Valerie’s House. Let them know we are here for them and that they are not alone. Give them a voice, let them know you hear them,” Melvin Churchill said.
Valerie’s House opened its first location in Fort Myers in January 2016 and has served more than 6,000 children and their families from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Escambia counties. The organization provides a safe, comfortable place for children to share, grieve and heal together following the death of a close family member.
Valerie’s House currently offers peer support groups and other activities at locations in Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda, and Pensacola. Valerie’s House is a United Way partner agency and is fully supported by community donations.
If you know a family who is in need of grief support, please go to the Valerie’s House website www.valerieshouse.org to find out more and enroll a family for help