Fort Myers nonprofit grieving teens career guidance night | Lee County

Graduation season is fast approaching, and for some young people, the journey to this milestone has been marked by significant challenges.

A nonprofit organization in Fort Myers is stepping in to offer guidance to those who have faced such hardships.

Valerie’s House provides a supportive environment for teenagers dealing with loss, helping them navigate their futures. WINK News reporter Haley Zarcone sat down with a senior who shared her journey.

“I’ve been coming to Valerie’s House a little over a year,” said Molly Flynn, a senior at Valerie’s House. “It’s a lot more than what it sounds like, like a lot of people here, it’s like, oh, a charity, oh, it’s like, support for kids. But it’s so much more than that.”

Molly’s father passed away during her junior year of high school.

“He was in the Air Force,” said Flynn. “He had a heart attack, and right after swim practice, actually, and he passed away at the hospital.”

“After he passed, like, I lost sight of everything I did,” Flynn continued. “Like, stop going to school. I could not get out of bed, didn’t go to work, anything like I didn’t want to do anything either. So I truly had no clue what the future looked like anymore.”

Valerie’s House provided the support Molly needed to navigate her grief and work towards graduation.

“It’s sad and it’s like, good at the same time,” said Flynn. “With every success and with every milestone, there’s always that little bit of sadness attached to it, but you have to just learn to push through and honor them instead of missing them.”

On Tuesday night, the nonprofit hosted a College and Career Night, featuring local organizations, including WINK’s own Lauren Kriedler, to help teens explore their career paths.

“You’re not the only one,” Flynn said, reflecting on her journey. “Everyone gets stuck in that space of where there’s just, like, nothing to do, nothing you want to do, nothing you can do. And seeing the community come together for us is also the best thing ever.”

“I do want to thank Valerie’s House for always being like one or two steps ahead of us when it comes to taking some weight off of our shoulders when we navigate a new life without our person anymore,” Flynn expressed.

Molly plans to attend college close to home and pursue a career as an esthetician. She acknowledges that losing someone never gets easier, but through grief counseling, her perspective has improved for the better.