Valerie’s House Scholarship winner Madison McKinnon, left, and House founder and CEO Angela Melvin Churchill. PROVIDED

A Cape Coral resident, Madison McKinnon, who attended Valerie’s House grief support program after her mom passed away, was named one of 10 scholarship winners.

Along with McKinnon, the recipients include Gabriel Dang of Naples, Abigail Dotzler of North Port, Talia Hall of Lehigh Acres, Jessica McKee of Fort Myers, Melanie Para of Lehigh Acres, Anthony Pham of Fort Myers, Sean Sorrick of Naples, Siena Sulmasy of Naples and Hayden Toms of Fort Myers.

McKinnon graduated from North Fort Myers and is attending Penn State University.

At first she wanted to attend George Mason University for forensic science, but after her mom, Julia McKinnon, passed away, she switched her choice to Penn State, as both of her parents attended the school.

“Me going there made me feel so much closer to her and gave me closure. I feel like I am walking in her shoes,” McKinnon said.

She is pursing a degree in forensic science because she has always been interested in anything medical.

“We believe it is important to empower our youth to strive for big things and to know that loss doesn’t have to limit their dreams,” Valerie’s House Founder and CEO Angela Melvin Churchill said in a prepared statement. “We are very grateful to our donors who have made this scholarship program possible.”

The nonprofit organization awarded $60,000 in college scholarship for graduating seniors who found support at Valerie’s House. Each student received $1,500 and has the option to renew for up to three additional years for a total of $6,000 per student – all depending on individual achievement.

The scholarship helped McKinnon pay for her summer session at Penn State.

“It makes me feel as though I know Angela is there for me, helping me, and trying to do everything she can for me even though I am on my own,” she said. “I don’t even know how to explain it. When I lost my mom, I was in a really hard place. I was beginning my senior year. My life just stopped. Angela has been absolutely amazing. Without her help, I would not be in Penn State, or made it through senior year.”

Her mother passed away on Aug. 3, 2023. She was diagnosed with stage four gall bladder cancer while McKinnon was in Pennsylvania. She said she was told her mom had cancer, but it was not until she got home two weeks later that she learned what stage. Her mother started chemotherapy right away.

“My mom was up and around doing something – never not doing something,” she said of her mother, who always had make-up on and heals on – always presentable. “To see her not get up and get ready and be in bed all day was hard.”

The chemo started to quit working and her mother was in the hospital more than at home.

“That was really hard,” McKinnon said, spending her days at the hospital – as soon as she could arrive until as late as she could stay.

“I had spent the night that night and I woke up and she was gone,” McKinnon said the day her mother passed away. “I am happy I was able to spend 17 years with her. I got to know my mom and I got to grow up with her still here.”

Her heart goes out to her three younger sisters, especially the two in middle school, as they never got to spend their full teenage years with their mom.

“My mom worked at Gulf Elementary. She was a teacher 18 years, 19 years. She taught for as long as I could remember,” McKinnon said.

The recipients wrote an essay about their personal grief story, as well as how that shaped them as the person they are today, and who they want to become.

“The students, whose families are all a part of the Valerie’s House grief support program, are asked to check in with Valerie’s House each college semester and tell us something that they worked through that was challenging during the semester, and something great that they believe they might have accomplished,” Melvin Churchill said in a prepared statement.

McKinnon said to be honest when she first heard about Valerie’s House and her dad telling her about it, she was skeptical and did not want to deal with it – as she wanted to grieve on her own time. Once they started to go she began to realize she was not alone.

“It was really nice to hear how other people are feeling. They are feeling the exact same things as you do. It’s a lot more comfortable to share your stories,” she said.

McKinnon first started attending Valerie’s House at the old house in downtown Fort Myers.

“It was amazing to see the difference,” she said of the new forever home. “As soon as you walk in, there’s a huge wall of just teddy bears. There are so many of them. It’s already welcoming to children. There are blankets. The lighting, the decorations is beautiful.”

Valerie’s House, which now has three locations in Southwest Florida, began in Fort Myers in January 2016. The organization, since then, has served more than 5,000 children and their families from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Hendry counties by offering a safe, comfortable space to share, grieve and heal together after the death of a close family member.

“All I can do is be grateful that I had Angela. I still know she is there for me and my family,” McKinnon said. “After my mom passed away I did everything I could. She made me realize I don’t have to be the strong person all the time. I can have my moments, and tell people I am not OK. She made me realize my self worth. I was in such a bad place.”

Looking back at her senior year of high school, she said she still does not know how she achieved good grades, as she left school every single day.

“I was having attendance problems, but I still maintained all A’s my senior year and got my AICE diploma,” McKinnon said.

For additional information, or to donate to the Valerie’s House scholarship fund, please visit valerieshouse.org/donate.