|
|
| Aug. 24, 2009 |
Champions' Challenge golfers are champions for children
A field of 63 golfers, including celebrities Jeff Walz, Denny Crum, and Will Perdue, played in the fifth annual Champions' Challenge golf tournament on Monday, August 24, 2009 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. |
| June 28, 2009 |
Glen Dale Children's Home alumni gather for reunion
Nearly 100 people - alumni, their children, families and friends - gathered at Gilead Baptist Church for their annual homecoming celebration. Alumni attended the service together, then gathered in the fellowship hall to reminisce over pictures and share stories while they ate a meal together. |
| June 26, 2009 |
New Glen Dale Center dedicated
Click here to read more and see pictures on Sunrise's blog. |
| June 14, 2009 |
CAP offers open house
Sunrise staff offered tours of the Cumberland Adventure Program in Bronston (near Somerset) during an afternoon open house. CAP serves up to 56 boys ages 14 to 18 who can benefit from learning the discipline and teamwork developed during trips into Kentucky’s wilderness. |
| May 30, 2009 |
Foster families enjoy family festival
Foster and adoptive families enjoyed a day of fun at the Woodlawn campus in Danville as the Southern Region Foster care staff showed their appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the parents. The Woodlawn Family Festival featured puppet shows, dog trick shows, magicians, clowns, Christian bands, face painting, inflatables, cake walks, prizes and free food. The Kiwanis Club of Danville and First Christian Church provided volunteers for the event, while many local businesses contributed as sponsors. |
| May 28, 2009 |
Golf event in Paducah raises funds for Sunrise
A golf scramble benefiting Sunrise was held at the Country Club of Paducah. Twenty-three teams participated. The winners were from UBS Financial Services Inc. in Paducah. The title sponsor of the event was A&K Construction Inc. in Paducah. The event raised over $40,000 for Sunrise. |
| May 22, 2009 |
Governor restores provider rates
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced that he would use federal economic recovery money to restore reimbursement rates paid to Sunrise and all other private providers of care for the state’s abused and neglected children. This was a victory for the child care providers, who had been struggling financially after their rates were cut about 7 percent starting February 1. At that time, Beshear had refused to exempt the child welfare system from cuts in most areas of state government due to an expected $460 million budget shortfall in the fiscal year ending June 30.
The restored funding rates went into effect June 1 and should remain intact through December 2010. Still, this funding level only covers about 70 percent of the actual cost of care. The agencies, which care for almost half of the 7,000 children in state custody, must raise the remainder of the money.
Click here to read more on Sunrise's blog. |
| May 17, 2009 |
Open house held at Woodlawn Center
Community members toured the Woodlawn Center in Danville during an open house. The Woodlawn Center is home to several Sunrise programs: two psychiatric residential treatment facilities, which provides round-the-clock care for boys ages 6-12; the Sanders Crisis Stabilization Unit, which offers short-term intervention for children ages 6-18 who are at risk of being removed from their homes; therapeutic foster care, which provides support for foster children and families in the area; and IMPACT Plus, which serves at-risk children and their families through counseling and case management programs. |
| Apr. 24-25, 2009 |
Dozens attend baseball games for final Take a Stand 2009 events
Dozens of Sunrise supporters turned out for this year’s final two Take a Stand against Child Abuse events and enjoyed a minor league baseball game afterward. On April 24, Sunrise rose awareness about child abuse at the Bowling Green Hot Rods game. Sunrise Foster Care had a table of information inside the stadium, and the announcer recognized Sunrise during a break in the action. At the Lexington Legends game on April 25, Sunrise President and CEO Bill Smithwick spoke to the crowd before the game. Take a Stand T-shirts were tossed into the stands, and Tempur-Pedic donated a mattress that Sunrise gave away in a drawing during the third inning. Children from Sunrise’s Woodlawn Center in Danville attended the game thanks to tickets donated by Hillyard The Cleaning Resource in Lexington. |
| Apr. 22, 2009 |
Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital sponsored a golf scramble to benefit Sunrise, held at Eagle’s Nest Country Club in Somerset. Thirteen teams participated, with one team winning a drawing to play for free in the Sunrise Champions’ Challenge at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville on August 24. |
| Apr. 18, 2009 |
Sunrise treated more than 60 supporters to dinner at the Youth Support Center in London. The after-school program, which served 143 teenagers last year, draws on various therapies and activities to prevent problems that result in teens being removed from their homes. YSC also helps youth make the transition back home following a stay in residential care, foster care or the juvenile justice system.
At the dinner, the audience learned about the program from Sunrise President and CEO Bill Smithwick, YSC Director Mary Schild and Lead Counselor Berlin Goins. Two Laurel County court officials - Chief District Judge John Chappell and Family Court Judge Durenda Lawson – shared the successes they’ve seen in teens they ordered to attend YSC. |
| Mar. 28, 2009 |
Sunrise held the second annual Take a Stand against Child Abuse in several cities across Kentucky. Although rain and storms affected turnout, participants committed to standing up for abused and neglected children spread their message by holding signs along major thoroughfares. “We wanted the public to pay attention – not just to the cases that make headlines, but to the silent plight of thousands of hurting kids,” said Sunrise President and CEO Bill Smithwick. Participants also raised money to benefit Sunrise.
In Kentucky, a child suffers from abuse every eight minutes, and those are just reported cases. Across the U.S., four children die every day at the hand of abusers, and most of those children are under the age of 4. It’s estimated that one-third of abused children will later abuse their own children. Sunrise strives to break the cycle of child abuse by bringing healing to victims’ lives.
Click here to view photos of Take a Stand. |
| Mar. 15, 2009 |
The public was invited to an open house at Sunrise’s Genesis Center in Mayfield. The residential program serves up to 15 girls ages 12-18 who have suffered severe abuse and neglect. |
| Dec. 2008 |
The Kentucky Opry in Draffenville presented its “Old Country Christmas Show” on December 13 as a benefit for Sunrise. Our foster children and families were able to attend the performance for free. |
| Dec. 15, 2008 |
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on December 5 for Sunrise’s new Appalachian Mountain Region Foster Care office in Hazard. Perry County Judge-Executive Denny Ray Noble and Hazard Mayor Bill Gorman joined Sunrise President and CEO William Smithwick and foster care staff at the ceremony.
The new office – serving Jackson, Owsley, Breathitt, Knott, Perry, Leslie, Clay, Knox, Bell, Harlan and Letcher counties – is Sunrise’s seventh regional foster care office.
Elizabeth Wessels, Vice President for Foster Care and Community-Based Services, said the need for the Hazard office arose because of growing demand for foster homes in Eastern Kentucky.
“Because of the dedication and support of the staff at Eastern Region Foster Care (ERFC), they have continued to certify more and more foster families, and we have even seen a trend of families transferring to Sunrise from other foster care providers in Eastern Kentucky,” Wessels said. “Therefore, it became essential that we split ERFC and create the seventh region. It is wonderful evidence that Sunrise foster care provides their families and children with the support and care that is needed to help children find hope and happiness.”
The Hazard office is being directed by Jacob Litteral, who has worked as both a foster care specialist and a program therapist for three years in the agency. Read more on Page 13 of the Winter 2008 Messenger. |
|
| Nov. 11, 2008 |
Sunrise Children’s Services enjoyed fellowshipping at the Kentucky Baptist Convention annual meeting on November 11, ending the day with a free ice cream social. Baptists from across Kentucky were on hand for the event at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington. |
| Oct. 2008 |
When do whitened smiles make a difference in the lives of children? Three Paducah dentists made it happen through a partnership with the Smiles for Life organization.
Drs. William Walden, Scott Bridges and Jeffrey Holland offered discounted teeth whitening services at their dental offices from March through June. The proceeds were split between Sunrise Children’s Services and the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation. As participants in the Smiles for Life program, the dentists donated their time while Discus Dental provided the supplies so that 100 percent of the proceeds could be used to help children.
The money Sunrise received is benefiting the Genesis Center in Mayfield and Western Region Foster Care. |
| Sept. 2008 |
The Little Caesars Pizza Love Kitchen rolled into Danville for a visit to Sunrise’s Woodlawn Center on September 8 to serve lunch to the children. The kitchen, housed in a large trailer pulled by a semi-truck, dished out at least 100 pizzas. The Little Caesars Love Kitchen has fed more than two million people in 48 states and three Canadian provinces and has responded to disasters around the nation. |
| Aug. 25, 2008 |
Some of Kentucky’s most prominent sports figures gathered at the site of the 2008 Ryder Cup to participate in the fourth annual Champions’ Challenge golf tournament to benefit Sunrise Children’s Services. The event took place on August 4 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
The 21 teams of four golfers were each paired with a celebrity golfer. University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, University of Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich and former U of L basketball coach Denny Crum headlined the list of celebrity players.
The winning team of Bill Roby Sr., Billy Roby Jr., Mitch Patenaude and John Rousseau played with U of L golf coach Mark Crabtree.
Former UK and Cincinnati Bengals kicker Doug Pelfrey received the Children’s Champion award from Sunrise for his dedication to Kicks for Kids, a nonprofit organization helping at-risk youth.
Corporate sponsors of the Champions’ Challenge included All-State Ford, BB&T Investment Services Inc., Humana, South State Contractors, Texas Roadhouse and Wendy’s. Read more on Page 5 of the Winter 2008 Messenger. |
| August 2008 |
Golf scrambles took place in Somerset, Paducah and Pikeville to raise money for Sunrise. Participants enjoyed playing at Eagle’s Nest Country Club in Somerset on April 23, Drake Creek Golf Club in Paducah on May 30 and Green Meadow Country Club in Pikeville on July 28. Read more on Page 5 of the Winter 2008 Messenger. |
| July 2008 |
Sunrise foster parents Houston and Debbie Hogg traveled to Texas from July 13-18 as recipients of the Foster Family-Based Treatment Association’s Leadership Legacy Scholarship. The Owensboro couple, nominated by Western Region Foster Care Program Director Kenny Williams, have cared for nearly 300 foster children over 18 years. Read more on Page 1 of the Winter 2008 Messenger. |
| June 22, 2008 |
Nearly 100 alumni and their families gathered at the Glen Dale campus for their annual homecoming picnic on June 22. Sunrise’s maintenance staff grilled burgers and hot dogs, while staff and clients helped get the campus in order for the event. Glen Dale, located on 570 acres, opened in 1915 as an orphanage and working farm.
|
| April 28, 2008 |
In observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Sunrise Children’s Services launched a statewide campaign called Take a Stand against Child Abuse. The climax of the monthlong campaign occurred April 23-25, when hundreds of supporters gathered in 11 cities across Kentucky and stood along a major road for an hour to raise awareness about child abuse. Participants wore T-shirts featuring a blue ribbon, the symbol of Child Abuse Prevention Month. |
| March 2008 |
The American Civil Liberties Union’s attempt to block partial expense reimbursement from the government to Sunrise Children’s Services because of the agency’s religious affliation was dismissed by a federal judge on March 31. Read more on the Sunrise blog. |
|
|
|
