Valerie’s House hosts Christmas party for kids who have lost loved ones

While the holidays are the time of year to be with loved ones, some people who have lost a family member or friend experiences difficulties around this time. This is especially true for children. So, to help kids who have lost loved ones, Valerie’s House hosted a Christmas party.

Adults play a massive role in the ability of children to deal with and process their grief, especially during the holidays. This time of year can stir up all sorts of emotions after a loss. That’s why, on Saturday, Valerie’s House hosted its annual Christmas party.

Angela Melvin is the founder of Valerie’s House. “Particularly a difficult time to celebrate, because holidays are about family and a lot of them don’t have the person here with them that they lost,” said Melvin.

Valerie’s House is an organization that helps children, young adults, and adult caregivers share their experiences with its peer support group.

Heather Payne is a family support counselor at Valerie’s House. “There’s really tough days, we really heard stories, but to see how these families keep going through it and the resilience they have,” Payne said. “And to feel like I’m a part of helping them get through it, it’s just incredible.”

Seth Jucker has been coming to Valeries’ Hosue for the past year. “It feels great, and at the same time, not so much. It feels good to know that you are not alone, but it also feels very bad to know that other people had to experience what you’ve gone through,” Jucker said.

“There’s a sense of respect here for one another that people have, so when you tell someone about something, and you don’t want it to be told to other people, when you tell them, to take it as a way to vent,” said Jucker.

Jason Bishop joined this organization almost four years ago. Now, he’s a teen ambassador. For him, Valerie’s House has had such a healing effect on so many people. “They come here lost and scared and not wanting to go on with their lives because they can’t go on without the person that they love,” said Bishop. “It’s really nice to see a change in someone’s eyes that they can do more, even without them, and do it for them.”

And founder Angela Melvin believes that no child should be grieving by themselves and carry this burden alone. “No child should have to grieve alone. No family should have to feel like they are the only ones. No family should have to face the holidays by themselves. Everyone should understand that we’ve had this happen to us,” Melvin said.

“But we are also going to move forward, and we are going to move forward together.”

Valerie’s House is not a formal counseling center, but it offers people a place to share experiences. Their main goal is to positively impact the lives of those involved.