July Newsletter

Jul 20, 2017 | Uncategorized

Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,
Wild thistle.

With summer under way, we are enjoying the fields of purple thistle, pink rhododendron and yellow buttercups that flower wildly in Connemara. We hope you are delighting in these beautiful summer months, wherever you are.
 
We so enjoy reaching out to our many friends and supporters around the world through this newsletter. And we are so very grateful for your continued support. You are truly making a difference in the lives and well-being of Exonerees. 


OUR GUESTS AND VISITORS

Sometimes our guests and visitors arrive on our doorstep and sometimes they are virtual guests who “meet” us and connect with us via a podcast, video, radio interview, television show or news story.
 
We “visited” with another woman via a recent radio program and here’s what she had to say:
 
I listened to Sunny leading breathing at the Sunny center on the programme (BBCRadio4 Seriously) and breathed along with you.  I’ve suffered from IBS for about 25 years, and had gotten to the point that I had to either lie down on my side or be in a bath to get any relief from pain. It felt hopeless and was depressing, and getting worse. Something shifted physically inside of me while I was doing emergency breathing. IBS has a stress and depression component. Anyway, I have enjoyed almost complete remission and a great relief of physical pain. Thank you Sunny and Peter, I think through your compassion and intervention for the lives of others you have helped me in a profound may.  Being in pain, while not incarceration is a kind of prison, living 24/7 in pain takes away most of the joy of life.  You are on my map and in my thoughts and I will donate when I can. Thanks. Karen
 
We are expecting a group of young people from Galway who expressed curiosity that two people who had been wrongfully convicted could be happy. They want to come and see for themselves and will be visiting in the coming weeks with their group leader. 

OUR VOLUNTEERS 

Sunny and our volunteer Tress.

We were sad to see our volunteer Tress leave as she so quickly became part of our family, but we are glad she has promised to return! And on the same day that Tress left, we happily opened our home to our newest volunteer Georgie who arrived from the UK. She is wonderful with our cats and has been helping out with everything from walking the dogs to securing fences. 


OUR ACTIVISM 

Photo copyright Matt Cetti-Roberts/Frontline Pictures

We are now working with an organization in the US that is helping us to provide services to our exonerees once they have gone back home. This development also helps to create more networking and a wider community among exonerees. We are so pleased to be able to offer enhanced support services to people who need it so dearly and who, often otherwise, have little assistance.
 
We’ve also set the date for a production of The Exonerated as a fundraiser to benefit the Sunny Center! It will be staged on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 3pm at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway. To help defray the production costs, we’ve also launched a crowd-funding campaign on Go Fund Me. We invite you to contribute to this really important campaign and we appreciate your support in getting this production off the ground! 


OUR FURRY FRIENDS

Bogie at rest.

Bogie, our feral cat, has graced us with his presence and moved indoors! He’s nine years old and it’s only been in recent weeks that he’s really started to feel comfortable indoors. We expect that he will always be partly wild, but he seems to be thriving here in our busy household.

Our volunteer Georgie with Louie and Lama.

Our Lama gave birth to little Louie and Lama is a truly loving mama! She is also giving us lots of milk and we are making cheese again! Last night, our volunteer Georgie made ricotta cheese that we ate for dinner. It doesn’t get better than that. 
 
And here is a Louie update. His horns are already 1 inch long and he is a funny, playful  boy!


STAY CONNECTED 

Please know that wherever we are, we hold you, our dear friends and supporters, in our hearts. We are blessed. Thank you for being there for us. And thank you for being there for the Sunny Center. 

.
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.