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.