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 support 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 about 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.
