Pensacola nonprofit Valerie’s House gives grieving children support

Jul 23, 2023

Children grieving the death of a loved one in Pensacola now have a cozy, comfortable house to call their own.

After two years of serving the Northwest Florida area, Valerie’s House Pensacola officially opened its new home to the community during a recent Pensacola Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting and Open House at 904 E. Gadsden St., near downtown.

More than 250 people filled the rooms for tours and had the opportunity to speak with families, board members and volunteers about the services at Valerie’s House. Guests strolled through the historic home, which has been renovated to include healing rooms, art spaces and gathering rooms for adults and children to be together during their grief journey.

Valerie’s House is the first and only nonprofit in the Panhandle with a sole mission to help children grieving the death of a loved one. The Pensacola chapter opened in 2020, spearheaded by Valerie’s House Northwest Florida Director Crista Brandt. The program spent nearly two years in a donated space from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida before The Chadbourne Foundation, under the leadership of Caroline and Brian DeMaria, provided the investment needed to purchase a space.

More than 230 children and adults receive support from Valerie’s House, including students at Pace Center for Girls, where Valerie’s House hosts an in-school group. The peer-to-peer support model helps children share, connect and build bonds with other kids their age that are dealing with similar experiences.

Visit valerieshouse.org/pensacola or email [email protected] for details.

Learn more about about new location:Valerie's House finds new home to help more children and families through grief

Find ways to help:Feeding the Gulf Coast teams up with the MAX Volleyball Tournament to fight hunger

To help address hunger in the community and to celebrate last month’s National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, Santa Rosa Medical Center donated more than 460 jars of peanut butter (and a jar of jelly) to Feeding the Gulf Coast during the recent Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive.

According to Feeding the Gulf Coast, one in six individuals along the Central Gulf Coast struggle to put food on the table. The goal of Jars of Love is to help support individuals facing food insecurity, which is a social determinant of health.

Peanut butter is one of the most requested items for food banks because it is highly nutritious and has a long shelf life. Unfortunately, many food banks in America report it is also one of the least donated food items. Other foods needed by food banks include canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, boxed or canned meals as well as dried or canned beans, pasta, rice and cereal.

Visit srmcfl.com for details.

Gulf Breeze Will Do, a women’s philanthropic group, is recruiting new members to help expand their giving capabilities.

Ladies of the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach communities are invited to attend a membership drive from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 30 at The Pointe at Tiger Point Golf Course, 1255 Country Club Road, Gulf Breeze.

Gulf Breeze Will Do was born out of a group of Gulf Breeze women who formed an organization that could serve as a funding tool to help other nonprofit organizations and individuals who are trying to make a difference in the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach communities.

Grant funding is provided by collective annual membership dues, of which 100% is distributed back to the community. Every member has a vote on which organizations receive grant funding.

Gulf Breeze Will Do has awarded more than $413,000 to initiatives in the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach communities since its inception in 2014.

Annual dues are $250 per person for women age 29 and older and $150 for women 18 to 28 years of age. Women may live in any zip code, but grants will be awarded only to groups in the 32561 (including Pensacola Beach) and 32563 zip code.

Applications may be submitted online at gulfbreezewilldo.org.

More from Giving:Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida receives boost from Port St. Joe

Find ways to help:Pensacola's Garden of Peace and Hope dedication honors lives taken through violence

The Santa Rosa County Environmental Department is partnering with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to hold Waste Tire Amnesty Days at the Central Landfill from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 27.

A maximum of eight tires per Santa Rosa County resident will be accepted free of charge with a photo ID as proof of residency. Tires from commercial shops and vendors will not be accepted. Residents can drop off tires during regular operating hours.

Call 850-981-7135 for details.

Take part: To make a Causes submission, email [email protected].

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