May Newsletter

May 19, 2017 | Uncategorized

Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,

We send greetings to all our friends and supporters around the world!  We are enjoying exceptionally fine weather and beautiful bright Irish skies here in Connemara.
 
We feel truly blessed to be part of a worldwide community of people committed to justice and human rights.  We are always amazed and grateful for how generous of spirit, and pocket, this community is. And we thank you for your gifts, large and small, as every donation, whether of money or time or talent helps us to continue to help others.


OUR GUESTS AND VISITORS

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Our beautiful fruit tree planted by Uriah, one of our former Exoneree Guests.

We hosted a Guest from Florida who enjoyed walking the dogs, a visit to a traditional Galway Hooker – which is a wooden boat, built in the traditional way by hand -, and the vibrant cultural scene in Galway, which he joined in to experience a bit of Irish salsa dancing! We will welcome our next Guest  in early June.  
 
The apple and cherry trees planted by Uriah, one of our former Exoneree Guests, are in bloom and are a beautiful reminder of his lovely spirit.
 
We are happy to report that another of our previous Exoneree Guests has received a promotion in his job and, as a result, has as an apartment of his own for the first time since his release from prison over three years ago.


OUR VOLUNTEERS 

Our new funky doghouse!

We will be welcoming our next volunteer later this month from the US. 
 
A student who had attended our talk at his University decided his contribution to The Sunny Center would be to build a dog house.  As it happens, a big storm had blown away one of our doghouses. Now, the dogs are enjoying their new home!
 
Another supporter, who heard about us on a radio program, drove two hours to plant two native apple trees in our garden. We are looking forward to watching them grow and bear fruit.


OUR ACTIVISM 

Sunny presents at the Saoirse I Freedom event at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin.

On Easter Monday, we were part of a program called “Saoirse I Freedom,” hosted by the Trailblazers group at Kilmainham Gaol, a 17th-century jail in Dublin where many of the heroes of the Irish revolution were held and executed.
 
Sunny introduced the Ropes Literary Magazine at the 2017 Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway. During the program, Sunny did a reading from her book, “Stolen Time: One Woman’s Inspiring Story as an Innocent Condemned to Death.”
 
As part of that same festival, Sunny and Peter unveiled a Haiku plaque by  Little John Nee, a famous local playwright, poet and musician who has been honored as a national treasure in Ireland by being inducted into the artists group of honor called Aosdána established by the Irish Arts Council in 1981 to honor those who have made exceptional contributions to the arts in Ireland.  
 
Sunny and Peter gave the Keynote address at an event for the Northwest Innocence Project in Seattle and also hosted the first Exonerees For Exonerees Healing Retreat.  We were interviewed on The New Day morning TV show in Seattle. You can watch the video here.


OUR FURRY FRIENDS

The chickens roost in our flower beds.

Our flower beds kept getting dug up this past month, which we suspected was the work of the dogs. But, it turned out that the hens had actually been nesting in our flower beds! 
 
The cuckoo has arrived and has been entertaining us with her beautiful song. (Yes, there really is a cuckoo bird.)
 
We are hopefully awaiting the arrival of new kids! (goats, that is).


STAY CONNECTED 

We send you sunny thoughts and wishes for a wonderful spring! Please stay in touch.
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Peace and Love,

Sunny and Peter 

Remembering Peter

My dear Peter is gone.
We sang him home on the last day of the year, gathered around his bedside as we had done for so many days before.

‘Send them green.’ A special message from a Sunny Center supporter!

“I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest at the Sunny Center this past July. My first trip to Ireland, it always is a magical moment to visit friends who live overseas…”

Exonerees are succeeding, thanks to you!

Helping people exonerated of crimes they did not commit, setting them back on the path to a fulfilling life, is a monumental task that we depend on the dedication of volunteers, both near and far, to achieve.

Even in summer, the work doesn’t stop

We’re in midsummer now, with its long days that stretch until 11 in the evening here in Ireland. It’s a busy time for everyone and everything.

The power of art to heal and renew

Did you know that Peter was a woodworker and an artist? He created so many things. But more importantly, he taught those skills to other Exonerees when they visited the Center.

Looking for green shoots

Photo by Samantha Bookman. Peter and I chose to situate the Sunny Healing Center here in this beautiful location in the west of Ireland. A newcomer may at first see only a barren, rocky, windswept landscape. But, put your hand on the earth here, and you can feel the...

A message from Sunny about Peter

The time has come to say farewell to our dear Peter, who is in the process of transitioning from this body and this plane.

Finding Peace, Joy and Hope

The events in Ukraine over the past several days have been ever-present in all of our lives through the daily news and constant social media. These times can be especially difficult for Exonerees because of the traumas they are working to overcome.

Love Is Always the Answer

Winter is always a little bit quieter than the rest of the year. After a long day spent maintaining the Sunny Healing Center and getting it ready for visitors, it’s time for us to cuddle up with the kittens and, of course, Barney, on chilly winter evenings with a warm fire in the hearth.

A Happy, Healthy and Healing New Year to All

Love has no barriers and no limits. And neither does our gratitude for your continuing support and friendship. Know that you are never alone, because you are part of our family.

Happy Holidays to Our Friends Near and Far!

These are extraordinary times. And you’ve all been extraordinary supporters. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to keep helping Exonerees in the midst of a global emergency.