As you read a few weeks ago, I went to a #LEGS event in December and learned more about the game of golf and met some wonderful women. At that event, one of the group leaders spoke of the local nonprofit that #LEGS supports called Valerie’s House. The organization is for children who have lost a parent or sibling. It is to help them through their grief journey.
I couldn’t help but think the loss of my sister, my niece and nephew, and I immediately knew I had to get involved. I went to training the next month to become a volunteer. Although I couldn’t commit to running a grief support group, I am going to become a mentor and help serve dinner a few nights a month while we are in Fort Myers.
Valerie’s House was started by Angela Melvin who lost her mother in a car accident when she was 10 years old. Check out this video. She started the organization in memory of her mother, Valerie. She wanted to help children who have suffered a loss in their grief journey. She knew how hard it was as a child to go through such a devastating loss, and she felt that creating a safe place for families would be of great value to the community.
She wanted families to know they are not alone in their grief journey. She wanted children to know that other children have suffered loss as well. She also knew that every child is different and every grief journey is unique. She developed a place for these families to get together, have support, and share stories in their extreme times of need. The statistics are just staggering. One in 12 children in Florida will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. Children need to know they are not alone.
My time at Valerie’s House has been absolutely amazing. Everyone in our training group had a special person in their life who had died. All different stories, all different ages, all different grief journeys, but every one of us wanted to help and support others who have also suffered a great loss. It is hard but death is inevitable. How we deal with the death of others is unique. No matter how it appears on the outside, we all carry grief with us on the inside. Many times we can be happy and enjoy life but other days grief can hit you like a truck and you can’t stop crying. I am thankful there are organizations out there like Valerie’s House to help people who have suffered loss, especially at a young age.
Even though I have been involved in volunteer activities throughout my life such as Special Olympics and Virginia Organizing Project, I believe this one may become one of the most meaningful. Since Gram passed I have been looking for a volunteer opportunity, and I am so thankful I was in the right place at the right time to find this one. I hope that even if you don’t have time to volunteer on a regular basis maybe you will be inspired to volunteer once or twice a year for a cause in which you believe!
Photo by ray sangga kusuma on Unsplash
