Valerie’s House Launches Grief Support Program for Young Adults

Program meets needs of growing number of grieving college-age and young adults

FORT MYERS, Fla. – January 13, 2020 – Valerie’s House, the first and only grief support program in Southwest Florida focused solely on helping children grieve, has launched a program to help young adults work through their grief following the death of parent, sibling or friend. The program is a result of recent studies that show 1 in 3 college students have experienced the death of a family member or close friend within the last 12 months, according to 2018 research. 

Valerie’s House Founder and CEO Angela Melvin says she is not surprised with the statistics as it was when she was 18 years old and a freshman at the University of Florida, that she began to openly grieve the loss of her mother Valerie, who died when she was 10 years old and who the organization is named after.

“I remember being in my dorm and my roommate talking on the phone with her mother every day,” Melvin said.  “It was in those moments that I felt more grief than I had ever felt before.  We hope that by starting something specifically for the young adults in our community, they will realize they are not alone and it can help them not only in their healing today, but in their futures.”

Ally O’Brien

The Young Adult Grief Support Group is geared toward 18 to 25-year-olds and will meet at Valerie’s House- Fort Myers, 1762 Fowler Street in Fort Myers from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. Valerie’s House Program Coordinator Ally O’Brien, who has been working with Valerie’s House since she was an intern at Florida Gulf Coast University four years ago, will lead the group. Having lost her father at 16 years old, O’Brien says she understands the challenges of navigating young adulthood without a key supporter in her life.

“We are on our own and trying to figure things out,” O’Brien said.  “My hope with this group is that we can support and relate to one another.”

To learn more about the program or sign up, visit www.valerieshouseswfl.org/young-adult-program.

About Valerie’s House

Valerie’s House opened in January 2016 in a cozy home in downtown Fort Myers and has grown to three locations and to help more than 800 grieving children and their families by providing a safe, comfortable place to heal together following the death of someone they love. Valerie’s House offers support groups and other activities at a home at 1762 Fowler Street in Fort Myers and a home in Naples at 819 Myrtle Terrace. Valerie’s House also holds group meetings at 1st United Methodist Church in Punta Gorda. Valerie’s House is a United Way partner agency and is fully supported through community donations that can be made online at www.valerieshouseswfl.org or by mail to Valerie’s House, Inc., P.O. Box 1955, Fort Myers, FL 33902.