Valerie's House Hires Director of Programs

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Sept. 9, 2022 - PRLog -- Valerie's House has hired Val Gill as the Director of Programs.

In her new role, Gill will help grieving families who have lost a loved one by creating and nurturing programs that will help them heal.

"We are very fortunate to have someone with Val's background join Valerie's House," said Valerie's House CEO Angela Melvin.  "She has been a volunteer at Valerie's House for the past four years.  The children and families here made such an imprint on her heart that she decided to join the team full-time."

Gill earned her Bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of South Florida followed by her Master of Arts degree in mental health counseling from Florida Gulf Coast University.

She has experience in not-for-profit agencies overseeing clinical, prevention and community outreach programs.  As director of clinical and prevention services at the Children's Advocacy Center in Fort Myers, she witnessed the transformation from survivor to thriver in many children and adolescents.

Most recently, she had her own private practice specializing in trauma-related life challenges.

Valerie's House has locations in Naples and Fort Myers and has provided grief support services to more than 400 Collier County children and caregivers since its opening in Collier County in 2017.

Valerie's House was founded in Fort Myers in 2016 by Angela Melvin, whose own mother was killed in a car accident in 1987, and has expanded to include locations in Fort Myers and Naples as well as Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and Pensacola.

One in sevem children in Florida is predicted to lose a parent or sibling before the age of 25, according to the 2022 Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model.

Valerie's House is fully supported by community donations.

About Valerie's House

Valerie's House opened in January 2016 and has served more than 2,000 children and their families from Charlotte, Sarasota, Glades, Lee, Hendry and Collier, counties as well as the Florida panhandle. The organization provides a safe, comfortable place for children to share, grieve and heal together following the death of a close family member. Valerie's House has five locations: 819 Myrtle Terrace in Naples, 1762 Fowler St. in downtown Fort Myers, and grief support group meetings at 1st United Methodist Church at 507 West Marion Ave. in Punta Gorda and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2565 Tamiami Trail, in Port Charlotte. Support services also are available at the Charlotte Family Services Center at 21500 Gibralter Drive in Port Charlotte.  For more information, visit www.valerieshouse.org