October 2025 Newsletter
Just a few weeks ago, we gathered in Manhattan to say goodbye to our dear Sunny. Family, friends, board members, and fellow Exonerees greeted each other at Peter Tunney’s studio with hugs, tears and laughter. Mementos of Sunny and Peter were everywhere: old photos and print-outs of Sunny’s writing and poetry, Peter’s paintings, and of the two of them, always together whether traveling or cozy at home.
The Sunny Center Foundation is moving forward to realize Sunny and Peter’s dream: to provide a safe, welcoming space for Exonerees. To be a place where they can find support and learn to build a new life for themselves. In this month’s newsletter, we’ll talk about some of the ways we are moving ahead with that vision.
Stolen Lives: Coming to a Screen Near You
Film company Bang Bang Teo is screening Stolen Lives: A Story of Injustice, Resilience and Love at select theaters in the U.S. and globally. This beautiful documentary of Sunny and Peter’s lives together in the west of Ireland is an official selection of the Galway Film Fleadh and had its U.S. premiere at Stetson University last month. Most recently, it was screened at the Light House Cinema in Dublin, Ireland.
Visit our Instagram or Facebook page for the most up-to-date screening schedule. New dates will be announced soon.
Board Updates
In late June, the Sunny Center’s board of directors met to regroup and discuss moving forward in the wake of Sunny’s passing. We re-committed to Sunny’s vision and the mission of The Sunny Center Foundation.
Tress Ritter has taken on the role of director of the board. She will coordinate our meetings and continue guiding The Sunny Center Foundation forward. Jo Ann Golden continues her role as treasurer. Our board membership remains the same.
The Sunny Living Center
Dorothy has maintained a steady hand on the tiller managing operations at the Sunny Living Center in Tampa, Florida.
The Living Center has many continuing operational needs, and so we welcome donations that go toward maintenance, upkeep, and assistance for the Exoneree residents.
Since opening in 2018, we’ve provided direct support and assistance to Exonerees by providing stable housing. At the Living Center, we’re able to help four Exonerees at a time. Housing is by far the most important factor in the healing and rebuilding process that Exonerees go through. It is a refuge and a place of respite from a traumatic time in their lives. It helps them establish their ID and driver’s license, access social services, catch up on health and dental care, find jobs and reintegrate safely into society.
Because there is no time limit on how long Exonerees can stay at the Living Center, they do not face the stress of having to reapply for their residence every year, as some programs require. The majority of our Exoneree residents stay one to three years, and when they feel they’re emotionally and financially ready to live independently, they find their own housing.
Exoneree Support
Sunny and Peter both had outreach programs to provide continuing support to the Exonerees who attended the guest program at the Healing Center in Ireland. During the pandemic, they extended this outreach to any Exonerees who needed their support.
We are committed to continuing support of Exonerees and advancing Sunny and Peter’s dream of healing and health for those who have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated.
How You Can Help
This is the perfect time to consider The Sunny Center in your year-end giving. Any amount will help. You can give directly to The Sunny Center through our PayPal link, or send a check to our headquarters at:
Sunny Center Foundation USA, Inc.
83 Leonard St.
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10013
Your help is needed to keep Sunny and Peter’s dream alive. Thank you for all that you do for Exonerees.
Peace & Love,
Sunny and Peter
& The Sunny Center Foundation