Gulf Coast Kid's House renames its therapy wing in honor of philanthropist Teri Levin

Pensacola philanthropist Teri Levin did not beeline for the entrance of Gulf Coast Kid's House on Monday afternoon — because she had no idea what was in store.

Flanked by two friends, Levin took her time checking out the scenery as she moseyed up to the door. She even, at one point, stopped, bent down, read and pointed out to her two companions how the Kid's House had honored past donors by writing their names into the bricks that form its front path and patio.

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But as soon as she reached the organization's entrance and opened its door, Levin was greeted by an overwhelming cry of "Surprise!"

The word was shouted loudly, and Levin looked a little taken back — surprised, for sure — before collecting her bearings and realizing what exactly was going on.

The "surprise" was in her honor. The word had been shouted by a small group of Levin's friends and associates.

On Monday, the Gulf Coast Kid's House — which Levin has fundraised for and for years championed in and around the local community — honored her by renaming its therapy wing after her.

Gulf Coast Kid's House Executive Director Stacey Kostevicki said the Teri Levin Healing Hearts Wing was "long overdue."

"This is a huge thank you for everything that you have done for the Kid's House," Kostevicki said. "We have designated the therapy wing the 'Teri Levin Healing Hearts Wing' in your honor, and we just appreciate you. Some other people have some kind words to say about you. And we're going to let you catch your breath."

The Gulf Coast Kid's House is a children's advocacy center, serving over 3,000 kids per year in Escambia County by providing them with counseling for their experience with child abuse and allowing them access to legal and enforcement professionals in a safe space.

Levin has been donating and helping to raise money for the Kid's House ever since the organization was founded in 1998 and started out in a small office on South Palafox.

After its founding, Levin led "an aggressive fundraising campaign" to promote the Kid's House growth.

"She has never had anything named after her, and really, she has been a driving force behind a lot of this," Kostevicki said, gesturing toward the interior of organization's facilities. "So we wanted to take this opportunity to thank her."

In about 2004, Levin helped to spearhead a fundraising campaign that allowed the Kid's House to move into its current building, where children who have been abused can receive many of the services that they require in a single location.

Levin's friends and associates took turns Monday speaking about her at the renaming celebration.

Anne Patterson, a former Kid's House board member and a retired assistant state attorney, said that she spent 17 years of career working in a back office at the Kid's House.

"… I was in the back hallway prosecuting the cases, and I kind of lost track of what the front office was doing," Patterson said. "But we had a series of executive directors, the last of which has been our greatest, Stacey, who has been with us for years, and I knew that in Stacey's and Teri's hands we were in great shape. And we have been."

Patterson added that she's witnessed the work of other children advocacy centers throughout Florida, and that in her experience, the Kid's House in Pensacola is "by far the best run, most successful, most efficient CAC" in the state.

"It's because we started strong with a great board, and it's just gotten better and better," Patterson said of the Kid's House work. "So, I am so happy to be here. This is well deserved. It is exactly appropriate. Teri has continued to spread the word that 'our children are our future.'"

When Pam Schwartz, a Kid's House board member emeritus, first became involved with the organization in about 2005, she explained that she only know Levin by way of reputation.

"But I've come to know her philanthropy in all kinds of ways in this community," Schwartz said. "The Association of Fundraising Professionals has a saying: 'Change the world with a giving heart.' And I don't know of any hearts bigger than Teri Levin's and her efforts to make a positive change and that's what this world needs more of today. So, we love Teri and her giving heart."

Kostevicki raised and tipped a glass of champagne in Levin's direction, saying, "To your passion and dedication."

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at [email protected] or 850-435-8680.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gulf Coast Kid's House renames therapy wing in honor of Teri Levin