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October Newsletter

Oct 29, 2017 | Uncategorized

Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,
A beautiful sun sets on the Center.

The days are growing shorter. The nights are stretching longer. But we appreciate the change of seasons here in Connemara. We try to live in harmony with our surroundings and its seasons and we feel a profound sense of peace with this place. We hope you, too, are able to find ways to soothe the soul in a world that is often challenging.  
 
We love that this newsletter is a special way of connecting with you. And by the responses we receive each month, we are always reminded of how important our connections are. We thank you for being there, for your expressions of caring and your gifts of support. We are dependent on them to do the work that we do and we are grateful. 

OUR GUESTS AND VISITORS

​French television crew interviewing Sunny and Peter. 

Many of our guests are in need of passports. It is difficult for someone who has been traumatised by the authorities to go through the process of obtaining a passport. In some cases, this delays their trip to the Sunny Center until we are able to get someone in their area to help them through the process. In other cases, there are work related difficulties in arranging for time off to travel here. But we don’t let any of this stop us! Occasionally, it slows us down. We have a long waiting list of prospective guests.
 
We had a French film crew from the international news program called Enquete Exclusive (M6 channel) spend hours with us at the Sunny Center filming a segment on life after death row. The program was aired in France as part of Wrongful Convictions Day on October 2nd. 

OUR VOLUNTEERS ​

Emily with Woodie, Barney and Tricia the cat.

Our volunteer Emily has become an integral part of our household, helping to cook, collect the eggs, keep the goats happy, take the dogs on lovely walks by the lake and make delicious cheese!

October 2nd  was the 4th Annual International Wrongful Conviction Day when innocence organizations, human rights groups and exoneree initiatives around the globe promote understanding of the issue of wrongful convictions. Sunny and Peter were featured on the popular Ray D’Arcy radio show and invited listeners to join them in a minute of silence to remember all those innocent prisoners still awaiting justice.
 
Sunny and Peter were also featured in a documentary directed by Mark McLoughlin which was broadcast on both the BBC in the UK and RTE in Ireland. The film depicts the aftermath, the anxiety and anguish, for those who have been released following years of a false conviction and imprisonment. It will be distributed in the US in the coming year.
 
We have finalized the cast for the upcoming performance of the play “The Exonerated” at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway on November 19th. We do hope you will join us next month for what promises to be a very special staging of this extraordinary play. Sunny will be playing herself and Peter will be performing, as well. There’s also still time to donate money to our crowdfunding for the performance of the Exonerated. 

OUR FURRY FRIENDS

Rosie and her growing kids Jack and Jill.

Our furry friends are all happy and thriving. Our goats took a road trip to meet up with some wild goats so we expect to have more babies in the spring. The hens have been providing plenty of eggs – we just have to find where they’ve hidden them. The dogs and cats are keeping one another – and us – company. 

STAY CONNECTED ​

There is no power like that of love. And we are blessed to feel so much love. We thank you for all your well wishes. And we are grateful for your continued financial and heartfelt support. 

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.