$75,000 Grant from 2018 Naples Winter Wine Festival to benefit Collier County children through Valerie’s House grief processing programs

Valerie’s House has received a second grant in the amount of $75,000 from the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) that manages proceeds from the Naples Winter Wine Festival.

Valerie’s House provides children and their families who have experienced the death of a loved one a safe place to share and experience support with others who are also grieving, while moving through the healing process. The Naples Children & Education Foundation grant funding provides Collier County youth with arts, music and group therapy to help them identify, express, and process grief, to become mentally healthy, stable and successful in school and life in addition to focusing on school outreach through the Valerie’s House Schools Awareness Program.

“We’re again humbled by this great honor and show of confidence from the Naples Children & Education Foundation,” said Angela Melvin, CEO and founder of Valerie’s House. “This award is going to help us grow our grief support services in Collier County to support additional children near where their families live and work.”

ABOUT THE NAPLES CHILDREN & EDUCATION FOUNDATION – The Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional, and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted over 45 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing more than 200,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF’s unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time.

ABOUT THE NAPLES WINTER WINE FESTIVAL – The Naples Winter Wine Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, offers a weekend of unforgettable memories. Guests enjoy world-class food and wine during intimate dinners in private homes and are invited to bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences during an electrifying live auction. Since its inaugural event in 2001, the NWWF has raised more than $176 million, making a profound difference in the lives of thousands of children.

ABOUT VALERIE’S HOUSE – Valerie’s House provides grief services to over 200 children and their families from Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Sarasota counties at its downtown Fort Myers location at 1762 Fowler Street and in Naples at The Village School at 6000 Goodlette-Frank Road. As the first program of its kind in Southwest Florida focusing on children and their immediate families, Valerie’s House provides a safe, comfortable place for children to bond, grieve and heal following the death of a close family member so that no child will grieve alone. Valerie’s House is a United Way Partner Agency and is fully supported through generous donations from the community. For more information, visit www.valerieshouseswfl.org or call Allyson O’Brian, Program and Volunteer Coordinator at 239-204-5804. For more information or to make donations, visit http://www.valerieshouseswfl.org or mail to Valerie’s House, Inc., PO Box 1955, Fort Myers, FL 33902.

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This article was submitted by a Guest Author of the Above Board Chamber.