Pensacola, Fla. – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida (BBBSNWFL) has partnered with children’s grief center, Valerie’s House, as they begin their Pensacola chapter to support children and families experiencing loss. The Pensacola chapter of Valerie’s House is currently operating out of the Pensacola BBBSNWFL office and holds bi-weekly counseling sessions with children and their families.
The mission of Valerie’s House is to help children and families work through the loss of a loved one together and go onto live fulfilling lives, with their vision being that no child will grieve alone.
“Valerie’s House is honored to partner with such an esteemed organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida as we help grieving children see they are not alone in Pensacola,” says Valerie’s House founder and CEO, Angela Melvin. “We have grown so quickly in just a few months, enrolling new families who need help, including Littles in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. We are forever grateful to CEO Paula Shell and her team for helping us reach so many children grieving a special person in their life. We are excited for the future of Valerie’s House in Pensacola.”
BBBSNWFL serves a wide range of children that have been through challenging experiences, including the devastating loss of a loved one. BBBSNWFL is excited for this partnership, as there are children in BBBSWNFL’s mentorship programs that would benefit from grief counseling. In return, children in the counseling program at Valerie’s House could benefit from 1-1 mentoring.
“We always act in the best interest of our Littles, and in doing so, partnerships are so important,” says president and CEO of BBBSNWFL, Paula Shell. “Many of our littles have experienced grief and we could not think of a better collaborative partner to work with than Valerie’s House. Giving them the platform to kick start services in the Pensacola area is a true blessing and I know our community will be better because of it.”
For more information about Valerie’s House visit valerieshouse.org.
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About Valerie’s House: As the first and only organization of its kind in Southwest Florida with the sole mission of helping children grieve, Valerie’s House has helped more than 1,000 children and their families since opening its doors in 2016. Valerie’s House provides a safe, comfortable place for children and families to heal together following the death of someone they love. Valerie’s House offers peer grief support groups and other activities at a home on 1762 Fowler Street in Fort Myers and a home in Naples at 819 Myrtle Terrace. Valerie’s House also holds group meetings at First United Methodist Church in Punta Gorda and in the panhandle at Big Brothers Big Sisters NWFL. Valerie’s House is a United Way partner agency and is fully supported by community donations that can be made online at valerieshouse.org or by mail to Valerie’s House, Inc., P.O. Box 1955, Fort Myers, FL 33902.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida has been the area’s leader in one-to-one mentoring for 30 years by serving children ages 5-18. Our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida served 646 children in Northwest Florida