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July Newsletter 2019

Jul 16, 2019 | Uncategorized

​Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,

Last month we talked about how friendship begins at home, but it’s important to note that peace begins at home too and we are thrilled to announce that the Sunny Center now has a permanent home. Our friends, family and supporters saw the need and came to our aid with an outpouring of love. First, a Crowdrise campaign was launched with the assistance of the Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College and donors responded quickly.  Anonymous donors privately gifted us with large donations from the US and the UK. This kindness and generosity made the purchase of a home possible and we are feeling a deep sense of gratitude and peace! We aren’t moving far, as our new home is only down the road. But for us, it is a huge step and significant milestone! We now have a stable, secure and permanent home from which we can do our work and most importantly, open our new front door to exonerees in need of healing, help, support, care, recovery and respite. 
Our work will continue and we hope to continue to count on you to help us meet the costs of operating the Sunny Center, hosting our guests, and continuing our activisim. Through your giving, we honor the show of confidence that our large donors have expressed In our work and our mission to provide help and healing to Exonerees. We believe it is important and significant work and we hope you agree and contribute in whatever way you can. 
Please consider making a donation today. It’s as easy as a click of the button below. And please especially consider a recurring donation – no donation is too small, especially recurring donations. Being able to count on five dollars a month is a blessing! $10 a month is a double blessing! Remember, many hands make for light work. 

And one other way you can make an impact and make your dollars support the Sunny Center is by shopping at Amazon! Through the Amazon Smiles program, a portion of what you spend on shopping will be directed to the Sunny Center simply by using this link. And today and tomorrow are Amazon Prime Days!!!
Thank you, dear friends, for your steady support. We are over the moon that our dreams have been realized and we have a home to call our own, but a home that is open to those many others seeking peace of mind, too. 

OUR EXONEREE GUESTS AND VISITORS

Two new exoneree friends we met in Italy. 
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Now that we will be transitioning from our rented home to a permanent one, we can finalize our upcoming exoneree guests calendar. If you are exoneree, you can apply here. 
In the meantime, we are still reaching out to exonerees all over the world, both personally and virtually, to offer support and healing.  Our commitment is to continue to do our work and welcome exonerees to the Sunny Center. 

OUR VOLUNTEERS ​

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Peter and Sunny with volunteers Peter and Cian.

We are thrilled that the Sunny Center will remain in the area where we have been living so the beauty, quiet and views will be similar. 
We have been lining up volunteers, including Peter and Cian, pictured above, to clean the old house, prepare the new house and help box up and move things down the road to our new home. We are deeply grateful for their help. 

OUR FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS

Our furry and feathered friends are enjoying the long stretch of summer days and relatively short nights. And we expect that everyone will be settling into their new digs quite nicely. 
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The donkeys have moved into the shed where the goats used to live. And they enjoy their evening carrots and apples.  

OUR ACTIVISM ​

Sunny and her Italian translator Antonella Roetto.
Sunny and exonerate Amanda Knox who translated for her, along with California Innocence Project founder Justin Brooks. 
Peter and Italian exoneree Angelo Massaro.

We had an amazingly productive time at the Injustice Fest hosted by the Italy Innocence Project, where Peter and an Italian exoneree co-presented and Sunny discussed the death penalty and got help with translation from Amanda, another US Exoneree who attended the conference in Italy. Renowned innocence activists traveled from America, – including Justin Brooks, founder of the California Innocence Project, Ohio Innocence Project Director, Mark Godsey, and the Florida Innocence Project director, Seth Miller – to meet with other international projects. 

We also bartered services with Lucio Russo of Miraggio Dilux photos. He wanted a copy of Sunny’s book Stolen Time and in exchange offered to take photos of Sunny and Peter at the conference.

NowThis News, specifically designed to be shared on social media, and which has an audience comprised of 68% millenials between the ages of 18 and 34, did an 11minute video doc on our work in Florida and Ireland, entitled How “These Tiny Homes Are Giving Exonerated Prisoners New Lives,” which has 73K views on YouTube. Check it out for yourselves here. We find it very moving. 
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And, last week, Sunny and Peter did an hour-long interview for the Emma Barnett Show on the BBC5 radio discussing their work. We will let you know when the episode becomes available.

STAY CONNECTED ​

Our new and permanent home! You can see our old home down the road.

We are so incredibly grateful that our network of friends, near and far, have extended their support in such significant and profound ways. We look forward to settling into our new home and sharing that home with exoneree guests from around the globe. Thank you for your part in that significant development at the Sunny Center. 

To all of you who have so generously offered donations, large and small, we thank you for being among our treasured supporters. And, we hope that you will continue to believe in our mission, and have faith in us. To all of our supporters who have not yet made a donation, we hope you will consider making a donation to the Sunny Center today. This is a crucial year for us and our work. We are going to begin to train others to do what we do. Please consider giving, even two dollars or five dollars on a recurring basis.  We will be eternally grateful.

There is still so much to be done! And we can only accomplish this because of You – our community, family and friends. 
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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.