May 2019 Newsletter

May 14, 2019 | Uncategorized

Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,

True friends at the Sunny Center. 

Friendship begins at home. And here is what friendship looks like at the Sunny Center. We are grateful to have a network of friends and supporters that stretch from Australia to Atlanta to Italy to Taiwan. We are optimistic that through this bond of kinship great things can happen – like helping those people who have suffered the pains and losses of a wrongful conviction.
 
You are receiving this newsletter because you are one of those special people who are part of this global network of Sunny Center supporters. We want to thank you for your help and your belief in the work we do, each and every day.
 
If you would like to see our healing work with exonerees at the Sunny Center continue, please consider a donation now. It is a simple act that can have a profound impact on someone’s life – someone who has suffered in ways no one deserves.
 
And in return, we recognize your part in this chain of friendship and support and we send you peace and love. 


OUR EXONEREE GUESTS AND VISITORS

Our next exoneree guest Leslie.

Leslie, our next exoneree guest at the Sunny Center Ireland has already been settling into life as part of the Sunny Center community in Tampa. And we met lots of exonerees at the annual Innocence Network conference in Atlanta whom we hope to welcome in the not too distant future, like Richard Phillips, the exoneree who served the most time for a wrongful conviction – 45 years.

Peter, Richard, and Sunny are all smiles at the annual Innocence Network conference in Atlanta.
 
It has been difficult to finalize visits by exoneree guests while we transition from our current home, moving the Sunny Center to a permanent home, but we hope to be making an announcement about that very soon!

OUR VOLUNTEERS 

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Peter, Sunny, Tress and her partner Jude.
 
We couldn’t be happier than to welcome our dedicated volunteer Tress who arrived for a fourth visit this month. She knows the routines of the Sunny Center so well that she seamlessly blends in, watering the plants, feeding the chickens, walking the dogs and being generally cheery and helpful! Thank you, Tress!

OUR FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS

Whose road is it anyway?

This is the time of year when lambs appear next to sheep, calves next to cows and kids next to goats! The population of our neighborhood is exploding! But it is a sure sign that spring is here and longer stretches of sunnier days are coming.


OUR ACTIVISM 

L to R, US exoneree support coordinator Dorothy, Sunny and Peter.
Japanese IP, Sunny, Dorothy, Andrea and Daphine who came from Houston, TX  to connect with Peter and Sunny, joining forces with the Sunny Center to help exonerees.
 
We had an amazingly productive time at the annual Innocence Network conference in Atlanta where there were 900 attendees – the largest gathering the Innocence Network has ever hosted. We met with new exonerees like Richard Phillips, who served 45 years – the most amount of time served in a wrongful conviction in the US. We also met with others who are interested in a our work and discussed further collaborations. It was an inspiring and positive three days!!! 

STAY CONNECTED 

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Jason Flom, Peter, Richard and Sunny at the Innocence Network Conference in Atlanta. 

We are so profoundly thankful to our many supporters, those who are public and those who are anonymously there for us behind the scenes. To all of you, who so generously offer donations, large and small, we thank you for being among our treasured supporters. And we hope that, if you continue to believe in our mission and have faith in us, you will consider making a donation to the Sunny Center today. We will be eternally grateful. 

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.