OUR 2025-2026 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Valerie’s House, Inc. OUR VISION IS THAT NO CHILD WILL GRIEVE ALONE. Valerie's House Children and Teens at the Fort Myers Family is Forever Home
2 03 THE STORY OF VALERIE’S HOUSE 04 A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER 05 HOW WE SAVE LIVES 06 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 07 REACHING MORE FAMILIES 08 STORIES OF INSPIRATION - FORT MYERS 09 STORIES OF INSPIRATION - NAPLES 10 STORIES OF INSPIRATION - PUNTA GORDA 11 A SUMMER OF CONNECTION 12 PAYING IT FORWARD 13 SCHOLARSHIPS: GRIEVING BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL 14 SOCIAL MEDIA: BREAKING THE SILENCE 15 VOLUNTEERS ARE INVALUABLE 16 WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT 17 COMMUNITY COLLABORATION 18 BOARD OF DIRECTORS / THANK YOU 19 THANK YOU VALERIE’S ANGELS
A Mother’s Memory–A Place for Families to Connect Long before Valerie’s House opened its doors, there was a little girl who needed a place like it. In 1987, Angela Melvin Churchill was a month from her 11th birthday when her mom, Valerie, died in a car accident in Fort Myers. Valerie was a nurse at Cape Coral Hospital. She was just 31 and left behind her husband and two daughters, Angela and her younger sister, Lisa. Angela grew up, graduated from Estero High School, attended the University of Florida, and built a career in journalism. But she never forgot what it felt like to be a grieving child. Valerie Melvin (left) with Edison Community College Graduating Class 1986 When she returned to Fort Myers in 2013, hopes with friends, volunteers, business she wanted to volunteer with children owners, and community leaders. People who had experienced a loss like hers. Valerie’s House listened and stepped forward to help. She found few places where they is a healing place In 2016, Valerie’s House opened its could regularly come together and where you don’t doors, named for the mother whose talk with others who understood. grieve alone. life inspired it. So she began visiting children’s grief – Angela Melvin Churchill What began with one family’s loss Founder & CEO centers around the country, learning became a community where other what might be possible for families in her families could find connection. Your hometown. She shared her story and her generosity has helped that community grow, with support now available in Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda, and Pensacola. Through ongoing peer support groups at no cost, children, teens, young adults, and caregivers have a place to share memories, talk about the hard days, and build relationships with people who understand. Families can continue attending for as long as they need support. Valerie and her Family 1986 Ten years later, Valerie’s memory lives on in every family welcomed through our doors and in the belief that guides our work: no child will grieve alone, and loss doesn’t have to limit their dreams. Our Vision is that No Child Will Grieve Alone. Our Mission is to Help Children and Families Work Through the Loss of a Loved One Together and Go On to Live Fulfilling Lives. 3
Ten Years of Hope and Healing When I think about 10 years of Valerie’s House, I think about the people. The child who didn’t want to come to their first group and now runs through our doors. The parent who finally finds someone who understands. The young adult who once came here for support and is now helping another child feel less alone. And I think about you, the people who have made all of this possible. When we started Valerie’s House in 2016, we believed no child should have to grieve alone. I knew from losing my own mom how much it would have helped me to know other children who understood. Middle School Group at Fort Myers Family is Forever Home Thank you for helping us do that. Whether you have been beside us since the beginning or are just getting to know Valerie’s House, you are part of what comes next. Because of you, more children and families are discovering that loss doesn’t have to limit their dreams. With my gratitude, Teen and Young Adult Ambassadors at Valerie's House I wanted families to have a place where they could talk about their person, share the hard days, and know there was still room for joy and hope. Ten years later, that belief is still at the heart of everything we do. Throughout this report, you’ll meet some of the children and families who have trusted us with their stories. You’ll also see young people taking what they’ve found here and using it to support others. Watching them grow, lead, and pursue their dreams is one of the greatest joys of this work. There are still families who need us, and children who don’t yet know that this support exists. As we look ahead, we want to reach them while continuing to give every family the time, connection, and support they deserve. 4 Angela Melvin Churchill Founder & CEO angela@valerieshouse.org
A Variety of Grief Support Services Valerie’s House programs give children ages 5-18 and their caregivers a safe place to heal after their loss. Valerie’s House offers peer grief support groups for families after the death of a loved one. All services through Valerie’s House are free for families in need of support. Groups meet twice a month at our locations from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m with playtime and dinner beforehand. When it’s time to begin, children are separated into groups according to their age and type of loss. Valerie's House Middle School Support Group Valerie’s House also provides additional services at no cost to families, including individual counseling, a mentor program, and more. Our Grief Support Groups ❤ Children and Teens ❤ Young Adults ❤ Adult Caregivers ❤ Sibling Loss Middle Schoolers Explore Feelings Through Shaken Emotions Activity All groups begin with a check-in. Children and families take turns introducing themselves, the person who died, and how they are feeling on a scale from one to ten. Then, the children review a few group rules before getting started. ❤ Grandparents Raising Grandchildren After Loss ❤ Spanish-Speaking Families ❤ Students in Local Schools ❤ Growing with Grief: Phase 2 Support for Families Further Along in Grief Each group night centers around a grief-related activity. Valerie’s House utilizes various techniques to help families explore their grief. Younger children often use play to express their feelings, which is encouraged in groups. Children and teens can connect on a deeper level and may bond over the different life changes since the loss of their loved ones. When children connect with others who have also experienced a significant loss, it helps remind them that they are not alone. Elementary School Children Connecting Through Grief Group Activity 5
2025-2026 Expenses* FUNDRAISING 470,069 $ 2025-2026 Revenue* GENERAL & ADMIN. 234,232 $ INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE DONATIONS 1,018,649 $ SPECIAL EVENTS 874,575 $ GRANTS & FOUNDATIONS 2,132,189 $ IN KIND DONATIONS PROGRAM SERVICES 2,755,078 $ 48,108 $ INVESTMENT & OTHER INCOME 114,651 $ *Preliminary figures as of 10/13/2026 1,239 4,804 1,121 140 Grieving Individuals Served Hours of Clinical Counseling Offered at No Cost Volunteer Hours Volunteers & Mentors September 1, 2025–August 31, 2026 6
Sharing More Hope, Starting More Conversations Because of you, more families are finding Valerie’s House, and young people who found support here are helping us reach others. Opening Up Conversations Our content generated nearly 3 million views and impressions across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Ashley Wong and LinkedIn. In Grief on the Street, teen Grief on the Street and young adult ambassadors discuss grief with people in the community. Group night videos let children and teens share memories of their person and help others feel less alone. Making Support Easier to Find To mark 10 years of serving grieving families, we launched a new website. Families can learn what to expect, hear others’ stories, and take the first step toward support. Supporters can see their generosity at work and discover ways to help. Sharing What We’ve Learned Founder & CEO Angela Melvin Churchill and three young adult ambassadors presented our Teen and Young Adult Ambassador Program at the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Symposium in San Antonio. Once participants, these young adults now help lead our work across departments and shared their experiences with children’s grief support centers nationwide. PROJECTED DEATH COUNTY LEE COLLIER COUNTY IN FLORIDA 2027 31,054 11,987 CHILDREN IN FLORIDA WILL EXPERIENCE THE DEATH OF A PARENT OR SIBLING BY AGE 25. BEREAVED CHILDREN BEREAVED CHILDREN CHARLOTTE COUNTY SARASOTA COUNTY BEREAVED CHILDREN BEREAVED CHILDREN 6,106 6,947 Data on the numbers of children grieving before adulthood are taken from the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM). More information can be found here https://judishouse.org/research-tools/cbem/ 7
A Place to Show Up As You Are Tanner remembers his wife, Brittany, through the love she poured into their three daughters. “She was dedicated, loving, and the rock of our family. So much of who our girls are today comes from the love she poured into them.” After Brittany died, Tanner was grieving his wife while trying to give each daughter what they needed. “I have three girls who deserve the love, attention, and presence of two parents, and overnight that became one parent trying to give them all of that while also carrying grief of my own.” A counselor recommended Valerie’s House. The girls were unsure, so Tanner told them they could visit and decide for themselves. LEE After so much had changed without COUNTY their choice, he wanted them to have a say. 860 “From our first visit, I could tell they wanted and needed to be there. They felt comfortable almost immediately.” Fort Myers Family is Forever Home TOTAL SERVED Including School Groups At the Fort Myers Family is Forever Home, the girls found other children who understood what it was like to miss someone in their family. They could talk about their mom, make friends, and have fun without having to hide their grief. “They’ve been given a place where sadness, anger, confusion, memories, and even joy, fun, and happiness are all allowed to exist,” Tanner said. Now, the girls ask about their group and counseling nights. Tanner has found support, too. Coming together has become something all four look forward to. “It’s really comforting to have a place where we can literally show up exactly as we are,” he said. “At this point it doesn’t feel like somewhere we go because something bad happened to us, it feels more like a community that has become part of our lives.” Tanner and his Three Daughters Your support gives families like Tanner’s a place to find that connection, with room for both the people they miss and the lives still ahead of them. We will always carry Brittany with us. Valerie’s House has helped us understand that carrying her with us and continuing to live fully are not opposites. –Tanner Valerie's House Parent 8
Joy Again While Still Loving and Missing Dad Several people recommended Valerie’s House after other organizations told Kim their support wasn’t the right fit. “I reached out very early in our grieving process, and while starting so soon was difficult, I’m grateful we did.” At our Naples groups, children and caregivers find others who understand. On her first night, Kim recognized families from daycare, martial arts and school. She hadn’t known they were grieving, too. “Seeing them helped me feel less alone and reassured me that we had found a place where our family would be understood.” Kim and her Children, Nathan and Haley On his first night at Valerie’s House in Naples, Nathan wanted to sit in the back corner. His dad Michael had died, and he worried about how others would treat him. “Then I realized that everyone in the room understood how hard this was, and I didn’t need to be afraid to join them,” Nathan said. COLLIER COUNTY 201 TOTAL SERVED Including School Groups For Nathan, his sister Haley and their mom Kim, that understanding became a reason to return. Kim remembers Michael as a devoted father who brought people together. “He showed them every day what it meant to be a good human being,” Kim said. After he died, she faced raising their children while carrying her own grief. “My children’s needs have come first, and I’ve had to find room for my own grief while helping them through theirs,” she said. Today, Haley can explain her feelings and recognize when she needs a break. Nathan is sleeping through the night again and expressing emotions that once came out as angry outbursts. “I have learned how to use the correct words to express when I’m struggling and/ or having a hard moment,” Nathan said. For Kim, support reaches beyond group nights. “We laugh, cry, mourn, joke, and support one another, inside and outside of Valerie’s House.” In a year and a half, the family has missed only two sessions. The people they’ve met have become some of the most important in their lives. “They’ve helped us through difficult moments and taught us that we can celebrate milestones and find joy while still loving and missing Michael.” Together, they’re finding a future Kim once struggled to imagine. Valerie’s House has helped us reconnect, begin to move forward, and find ways to enjoy life again. In many ways, it feels like it has given me my family back. –Kim Valerie's House Parent 9
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