As we start off 2022, we wish you health, happiness and healing. And most of all, we wish you love! We are sending you all our love and gratitude—not virtual, but real! 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.
If you are struggling, go to our website and get a boost by going back through our past newsletters. Check out Sunny’s meditation and yoga videos on YouTube. Or get in touch with us and we will reach out to you.
Read on for a look at The Sunny Center in wintertime, our latest activities, and a few antics!
A New Effort: Employer Database
If you are an Exoneree, or know of one, who has found employment, or if you are an employer who has hired an Exoneree, we would like to hear from you.
We are creating a database of employers who have hired Exonerees and had good experiences. We’ll use this database as a resume + recommendation resource so that other Exonerees can find employment as well.
Even though a person has been wrongly convicted, they still carry the same burden: the stigma of having been in prison. Employers are often wary of hiring Exonerees. However, it’s our hope that if an employer can talk with other employers who have hired Exonerees, they’ll be far more confident about hiring them.
Please click the link below if you can help.
Life at The Sunny Healing Center
Our volunteer Tress with little Tom Tom, one of our kittens.
This was Tress’s fifth time volunteering at the Sunny Healing Center in Ireland. She is a true friend and part of the family! She took one month out of her life, donating her time and energy and some funds. It was so good to have her with us again.
There are always plenty of chores to do around the Center, whether it’s caring for our animals, collecting eggs, or watering our winter greens in the polytunnel. Our local volunteers continue to help us with all the chores that have become difficult for us as we get older. We are very grateful to them all!
Life at The Sunny Living Center
Having the right help and support in the beginning can make all the difference for an Exoneree. That is why we do what we do at The Sunny Living Center–and that is why we need your help!
Our residents, by staying at the Living Center for a while, are able to catch their breath in the period after exoneration and prepare to live fully on their own. While they are here, they continue to heal physically and emotionally. The Living Center provides a stable home as they rest and recover. Other residents are living almost independently, working part-time or full-time and assembling the building blocks for a new start in life — from getting a driver’s license to continuing education and certifications, and more.
Gradually, Exoneree residents become ready to transition from living at the Tampa community. When they do, we then open the Living Center to other recently released Exonerees. We find that this is the best use for our limited resources in housing.
We operate the Sunny Living Center so that we can make a difference. So that we can help our fellow Exonerees through the difficult and ongoing transition from wrongful imprisonment to life in society again.
Not only are we not prepared for society, but society is not prepared for us!
So, having a safe, healing and supportive place to go, where one will be completely understood and nurtured, can give a person the time and space needed in order to make the necessary adjustments and connections. It allows a person to reconnect with their family members, and with society in general, from a strong position rather than one of need and insecurity.
Here’s how you can help!
We are always trying to upgrade the quality of the furnishings and equipment in the houses at the Living Center.
If you are able to contribute to these needs — either by donating furniture or contributing funds toward maintenance, please contact us! Click the link below and send us a message that includes your name and email, and the service you can provide or item to donate.
Wish Lists: Help Exonerees Directly
| Support an Exoneree directly by purchasing a needed item for them! Terry’s wish list David’s wish list Paul’s wish list Danny’s wish list Joseph’s wish list |
| Learn about our Wish List program by clicking here! |
| Thank you so much for your support! And don’t forget, you can purchase through smile.amazon.com and select The Sunny Center Foundation USA, Inc. as your charity of choice. |
Support for Exonerees
New Group Meeting Forming
In our next newsletter, we hope to be announcing the launch of this new program for anyone and everyone whose life has been impacted by wrongful convictions!
We are developing an open meeting for Exonerees and anyone whose life has been impacted by a wrongful conviction: family members, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, even the lawyers who defended Exonerees – so we can begin to share each other’s stories and concerns, successes and failures.
Through this new program we can help each other begin to understand each other’s needs, work to become more harmonious, and develop better relationships. One of the biggest hardships when an Exoneree is released is their relationship with loved ones, because they can’t understand each other.
We will have Exoneree mentors – those who have been through it – to mentor those who are just starting to go through the process of rejoining society and healing. This creates a safe space to do that.
Contact us if you’re interested in participating!
Sundays With Sunny
Women Exonerees are welcome to join SUNDAYS WITH SUNNY, a group online chat where we can share and learn and grow together, and just be there to support one another.
Outreach
And all Exonerees, please visit our Outreach page and contact us if you need help in any way. We will respond to you. Even if you just need someone to talk to!
Peace and Love,
Sunny and Peter