Naples grieving middle schooler finds Valerie’s House, learns the tools to cope with her loss

12-year-old Maddy ​Benner found out this week she’s been selected to sing the national anthem at the spring training Red Sox game in Fort Myers.

“I’m looking forward to getting this amazing opportunity, for so many people to hear my voice, maybe to touch other people and bring joy to them,” said Benner.

Maddy has been coming to Valerie’s House in Naples for the past year and has found her voice, literally, amidst her grief.

“It’s become a definite lifeline for me and to open me up and to get me to feel my feelings instead of just bottling them up inside, which is not what I should have been doing before,” Benner said.

Maddy’s lost her grandma Carol and her pop pop Jay. Her dad, David, died on December 10th, 2021, and her teenage cousin Cali, who was like a sister, died several weeks later.

“They mean so much because they made me what I am today,” Benner said. “My dad gave me hope and just helped me to get all my singing stuff and help me believe I can be where I am right now. And Cali, she was always there when I needed to talk about something or to hype me up.”

Holidays are traditionally a time for us to gather together, but families at Valerie’s House are feeling the absence of their loved ones in a deep way.

Maddy came in shy and guarded, but with the help of her friends at Valerie’s House, Maddy has learned to talk about her grief and realizes she’s not alone.

“Most people don’t lose our father, dad at my age. So, I felt like no one could get me. And then coming here. So many people had the same thing happen to them,” said Benner.

“We believe that our children and families we serve are not limited by their loss,” said Sarah Andrus, director at Valerie’s House in Naples. “The loss doesn’t have to limit their dreams, and Maddy is a shining example of that for all of us here.”

Maddy is a source of inspiration for both kids and adults at Valerie’s House, as she uses her voice to give her pain a purpose.

You can hear her sing at the Red Sox spring training game in Fort Myers on February 29th.