Creating Family Memory Boxes at Valerie’s House
Join Bobbie Santiago, our Volunteer & Group Manager, as she walks through one of our most meaningful family activities at Valerie’s House — Family Memory Boxes.
Each location personalizes this experience a little differently.
• Naples families create keepsake wooden boxes with a lock and key.
• Fort Myers & Charlotte County families choose from a variety of boxes — plain or repurposed cigar boxes — and decorate them together.
Families spend time talking about memories, special places, and moments they wish they could share again. Then they decorate their boxes using markers, ribbons, stickers, washi tape, and more. Every box ends up completely unique, just like every family we serve. At the end of the activity:
• Naples families take their completed box home.
• Fort Myers & Charlotte County families add a personalized lock to their location’s sculpture — a symbol of love and connection that stays there forever. This activity helps families open up, remember together, and create something meaningful as they continue their healing journeys.
You May Like
Mackenzie Story
Mackenzie didn’t know what would happen after her mother died of complications from a stroke in February 2020. Her mother was a single parent, and after her death, 16-year-old Mackenzie moved across the state from Port Saint Lucie to Naples to live with distant family. Due to the COVID lockdown
ABCs of Grief: Healing Through Words - Valerie's House Activity Guide
In this episode, Bobbie, a volunteer group manager at Valerie's House, introduces the 'ABCs of Grief' activity designed to help children and teens express their feelings and emotions related to grief. Starting with reading a specialized book or poem, the activity involves discussing the power of words, creating a word
Myah Once Struggled to Walk Through the Door. Now She’s Helping Others Walk Through It Too.
When Myah first came to Valerie’s House after losing her dad, Jay, just two weeks before her 13th birthday, she couldn’t bring herself to go inside group. “I sat outside for my first three group nights,” she shared. “I just kind of didn’t want to accept the fact about everything.”