Dear Friends of The Sunny Center,
There is no place like home. – especially when that home is the Sunny Center! Our dream of offering a center of healing and hope for exonerees was realized five years ago when we opened our home to our very first guest, an exoneree who had served 26 years for a crime he did not commit. The Sunny Center was the only center of its kind then and still is the only place of its kind today. Since that very first guest, we have welcomed scores of exonerees into our home and into our heart.
No person should be imprisoned for a crime he or she is innocent of. We know all too well the depth of the pain that that imprisonment causes. But please know, you are a key to unlocking that person from suffering.
We and our exoneree guests and residents are reliant on your support and generosity to continue to offer some practical tools for healing and strategies for hope in the future. We have experienced firsthand how a body may be free, but a mind can still be imprisoned by trauma, resentment, hopelessness, isolation, anxiety and depression.
Help us help others. Consider making a donation today. And a recurring donation is the kind of gift that keeps on giving. For example, a $50 per month recurring donation can cover the cost of a cell phone for an exoneree who needs that sort of lifeline to be able to connect with others.
Thanks so much. We are deeply grateful for your kindness.
OUR EXONEREE GUESTS AND VISITORS
This past month, we did much outreach to exonerees in New Jersey, New York and in Ireland. It is such a satisfying aspect of our work, when we can share our experience, our hopes and dreams with others who have suffered the cruelest of confinements: being wrongly convicted.
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Over the past month, we have been the recipients of many man (and woman) hours of help! Our newest volunteer lawyer Daniela is settling into her new role assisting the community residence in Florida. Our garden is in order as all of our plants have been transplanted from their former home down the road. New shelves are up and old sheds have been reorganized. With the help of our volunteer corps, we are feeling very settled in and ready for the changing seasons.
OUR FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS
There is a satisfying rhythm to our life in our new home. The dogs enjoy going out for their walks. The cats make independent use of their own cat door. The chickens roost, lay eggs and wait expectantly for feed time. Everyone seems to share the same sentiment, that there is no place like home, especially when that home is the Sunny Center.
OUR ACTIVISM
This has been a busy month of activism! Sunny’s story at a Moth Mainstage event was very well received in London and Sunny received a standing ovation. She blew them kisses in return! We traveled to New Jersey to collaborate with the Centurion Ministries – the oldest innocence organization in the world, having been founded in Princeton, New Jersey in 1983. We were the guest speakers at the Centurion Ministries Gala! And we met with our board in New York to discuss our strategic plans for the remainder of this year and the coming year of 2020. While we were stateside, we had the chance to promote our work among new friends and old supporters.
STAY CONNECTED
Our work is all about building community and making connections. We have been fortunate, indeed, to have woven a wide network of connections that are part of the Sunny Center community. And we want you to know we are so very glad that you are part of it. Our deepest thanks to you for your belief in us and in our mission.
Peace and Love,
Sunny and Peter