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The Sunrise Name Means Everything
Sunrise Children’s Services began in 1869 when ladies from Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville formed the Louisville Baptist Orphans Home to care for orphans of the Civil War. Later, it would expand and be named the Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children. Today, Sunrise remains the child welfare arm of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, providing residential, foster care, foster-to-adopt, independent living, and family services programs across this state.
But why “Sunrise?” Is there any significance in that name? Quite a lot, actually. And an interesting parallel.
The Walnut Street ladies looked across the streets of downtown Louisville and saw hurting children, broken families, and unending despair. Eventually, somehow, they found a ray of hope. They discovered a new purpose for their lives and a way they could share their purpose and hope with those who needed it most. That was nearly 155 years ago.
More than 1,000 years before the ladies from Louisville began their hope-filled journey, another group of women began theirs. But honestly, it didn’t begin very hopeful. They were headed to the tomb of their dear friend, starting their walk early that morning. The sun was just beginning to rise.
The women who went to see Jesus’ crucified body at sunrise probably thought the morning would bring nothing new. Like the ladies from Louisville, they were dealing with despair and heartache. They weren’t yet able to see any hope. They were missing their friend, their Lord – their purpose in life. Why would they think this morning would be any different than the last? Why would they even venture the thought that on this day, hopelessness could be replaced with joy? But to their surprise, this sunrise brought unimagined hope and healing to anyone who would receive it.
Every sunrise brings the promise of a new beginning, new possibilities, and new hope. That’s what Sunrise Children’s Services’ name conveys, and that’s what this ministry has shared with hurting children and families in crisis since 1869.
Please pray that Sunrise’s name will continue to convey a new start to children and families throughout Kentucky, while its mission never waivers from the One whose “name is above every name.”
Article written by David Lyninger, Sunrise director of communications.
I met Chuck* when he first arrived at Sunrise’s Spring Meadow Center (SMC) in Mt. Washington. As I began the admission process with him, I noticed he was a friendly, talkative boy who was – as most are at first – anxious about what his new life at SMC would be like. He seemed determined to get through the treatment program here, and he applied himself to his therapy work for a time. However, as time went by, he seemed to lose hope and motivation to keep moving in a healthy direction.
As a treatment team, we had considered starting a mentor program to help the boys with their motivation to work hard in the program, especially those that have little to no family involvement and support. We were able to partner with Orphan Care Alliance’s Life Coaching program in March 2022 to recruit and train several life coaches.
Chuck was the first to receive a life coach. After he began meeting with his life coach in October of 2022, he got much more serious about finishing his therapy, and he actually graduated the program in January of this year! He continues to meet with his life coach each week while he waits for a good foster family placement.
His life coach, Wade Pritchard, has this to say about him: “In the few short months I’ve been meeting with Chuck, it has been inspiring to watch him increase in his desire to get well. Chuck professes faith in Christ. As he looks to the future and earnestly desires life beyond Sunrise, I have encouraged him to ‘leave behind’ the attitudes and behaviors that have led him to this place in his life.”
Pritchard shared with Chuck a portion of the scripture verse from Philippians 3:13: One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on. “Chuck and I both enjoy getting together and have expressed interest in continuing our relationship beyond his time at Sunrise,” said Pritchard. “I look forward with great anticipation how God is going to help, guide, and bless this young man as he and I press on together.”
*Name has been changed for privacy.
Written by Suzanne Pritchard, Sunrise senior administrative assistant at Spring Meadows Center
Wanda Sullivan, former Administrative Assistant at the New Hope Pregnancy Center, had heard of Sunrise Children’s Services but hadn’t yet made any real connection with its ministry. That changed in 2018 when she retired from her job. “The Lord just kind of put a burden on my heart for Sunrise,” Sullivan said. “So, I told my pastor, Brother Robbie Fairley at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Shepherdsville, that I would be reaching out to Sunrise.”
Sullivan did just that. And then she waited. And prayed. Her specific prayer was: “Lord, I’m putting out the fleece. If our church or myself were supposed to connect to Sunrise, just have the person that I talk to contact Brother Robbie and say this is the place.” God answered. But not exactly in the way she asked.
Shortly after her talk with her pastor, and while she was eating out with some of her friends, Brother Robbie Fairley called her. And missed her. Sullivan called back. But he missed her call. Finally, they connected. “You know that fleece you put out about Sunrise?” Fairley told her over the phone. “Well, the person that you wanted to contact me didn’t, but Stewart stopped by here and wanted to know what you all are going to do.” (Stewart Haag is the activities and volunteer coordinator at Sunrise’s Spring Meadows Center in Mt. Washington). “I think you got your answer,” Fairley concluded.
That began four years ago. From the very start, Sullivan wanted to find a mission at Spring Meadows that no one else was fulfilling. Stewart Haag suggested coming once a month to celebrate birthdays because a lot of the boys had never had a birthday party. Sullivan loved the idea. “The first Sunday of every month, regardless if there’s a birthday or not, we come over and have cake,” Sullivan shared. “It’s a birthday cake if there are birthdays; if not, we just do some kind of cake.” Since then, Sullivan and her church have added Christmas. But for Sullivan, the birthday celebrations will always be her called mission. “Our birthdays are our thing,” she explained.
Along with a cake, Sullivan and a small group of three other church members lead a one-hour party with all the boys and leave behind a gift for the birthday boy. Four years ago, the birthday gift was actually a two-dollar bill. “The two-dollar bill got started with our first group,” said Sullivan. “They enjoyed getting the two-dollar bills. They got it, and they were like, ‘I got a two-dollar bill!’” Today, Sullivan and her group give the birthday boys at Spring Meadows gift cards or other items, adapting to the new boys in the program and to their interests.
But what Sullivan hopes most to give to the boys is something long lasting and even life changing. “We share the gospel with them; that’s our main goal,” she said. One young man from Spring Meadows accepted Jesus as his savior and was baptized in Pleasant Grove Baptist Church the first year of the birthday parties. “I want (the boys) to take away that there are people in the world that care about them, and there is a church in Bullitt County that has been faithful to them,” Sullivan continued. “These boys have been let down by the very people that should love them the most. And they get forgotten . . . . Our main thing is that somebody out there cares about them.”
Sullivan understands that there are many misconceptions about the boys who live at Spring Meadows Center. “Yes, there are some here because of bad choices that they made, but there are groups here that have different needs; they are the victims,” she said. “So, it doesn’t matter why they’re here; this is our opportunity. You know, either be a part of the solution, or you’re a part of the problem.”
It is clear that Sullivan is passionate about her ministry to the Spring Meadows boys. “Those boys have stolen my heart.” she stated. “It just makes my heart happy to be around them. They lift me up. I enjoy they’re company; I enjoy they’re honesty. And, I don’t know, I just love being around them.”
One of the many boys at Spring Meadows who captured Sullivan’s heart is Josh.* “He wanted to be a chef – a chef!” Wanda exclaimed. “And this kid, every month we would go, it would be like, ‘Miss Wanda, I have a new recipe for you.’ We were talking about hot chocolate. ‘Put some peppermint in that hot chocolate.’ And every time I do that now, I think about (Josh).”
For Sullivan, these monthly birthday parties are truly a mission given to her by God alone. “My prayer is that whatever God wants to do with Pleasant Grove in this ministry – if it’s to do the birthday party once a month until He calls us home, or in another way – then I want Him to lead this ministry,” she explained. “I thank Him for giving it to me, but I don’t own it.”
And all of us at Sunrise thank you, Wanda Sullivan, along with your church group and everyone at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Shepherdsville for consistently and genuinely caring for the boys who live at Sunrise’s Spring Meadows Center in Mt. Washington. You are helping our kids know they are valued, much more than a two-dollar bill.
Seventeen-year-old Avery Krahwinkel recently asked her friends to donate items to Sunrise foster care instead of giving her gifts on her birthday. And they did! Items donated included soap, bubble bath, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toys, and 32 jumbo rolls of toilet paper!
“I did something similar last year during the pandemic since I knew non-profits were struggling with having less volunteers and donations,” said Avery. “I am very fortunate and don’t need a bunch of gifts. And since people would be willing to spend money to get me a present, I asked them to spend money on donations instead.”
Avery first heard of Sunrise in 2020. “I am involved with the Owensboro Impact 100 Next Generation organization, and we toured Sunrise last year because they were one of our grant finalists,” she said. “I had never heard of Sunrise before, but after visiting I was able to see all the great work they are doing. They do a lot for this community, and I figured I could try to help by collecting donations.”
It was quite clear to Avery what she wanted to occur from this act of kindness. “First and foremost, I hope I was able to help families in need that Sunrise works with,” she explained. “I hope my friends see that they don’t necessarily need a lot of birthday gifts, and maybe they could start asking for donations instead.”
Avery has this message for others: “Overall, I hope people take away how easy it is to be kind. Don’t take being fortunate for granted, and try to use your privilege to help people in need.”
Sunrise foster care in Owensboro is extremely grateful to Avery for her generosity, and we are all touched by her compassionate and caring heart. Thank you, Avery!
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A Message from our President
Sunrise is pleased to announce that by God’s wonderful grace we have reached a contract agreement with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). We are proud to be that partner and will continue to do our best to help children and families across this commonwealth. We are thankful for this day and opportunity.
We are also thankful for the prayers and support from thousands of Kentuckians. It has been amazing to hear from so many that care deeply about this ministry. We have had many friends across the state that have stood up and shown their support for Sunrise. And all of this made a difference.
We are blessed by all of you who have stood beside us in our fight for Kentucky’s kids.
This has not been an easy road, but we are so grateful that we do have a signed agreement between Sunrise and CHFS. We have been knocked down many times before, but we are now ready to get up and fly. So, join us. Stand beside us. Walk with us. And let’s fly together toward the future that God has set before us as we serve Kentucky’s most vulnerable.
With much appreciation,
Dale Suttles
President, Sunrise Children’s Services
Sunrise values the partnership we have had with the Commonwealth of Kentucky for more than 40 years. Our goal is to ensure that Kentucky’s most vulnerable children receive the vital services and care they need, whether through Sunrise or through other agencies. We are still committed to working with the current administration in changing the lives of kids for the better.
The year 2020 was not at all what any of us thought it would be. But the uncertainty, heartache, and fear that many of us experienced during the past year are frankly what our Sunrise boys and girls have been facing most of their lives. Thanks be to God, and because of your generosity, not even COVID-19 could stop us from helping families mend their brokenness and find a path to hope and healing.
We took care of children every day. Some of our children developed COVID-19. For them we never stopped providing care, and they all pulled through. We are still here, doing the important work.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, Sunrise had much to be thankful for in 2020. During the year, we celebrated 59 adoptions. Since the beginning of our foster-to-adopt program in 2006, our total adoptions are now 582! Thank you for your part in bringing families together.
Your generous giving has also helped our kids find their eternal homes. During our last fiscal year, our ministry reported 3 rededications, 19 baptisms, and 27 professions of faith. God is doing miraculous things in the lives of our kids, in the hearts of our families, and through your faithful giving.
Have you ever thought that the children we are serving here at Sunrise are not here by coincidence? Could it be that the children we serve everyday have been placed here by God to be part of a more positive world? Let’s empower all of them to grow up to embrace that world we are handing over to them. Let’s empower them to be more confident, to be successful, to embrace the challenge of the day.
Through your support and prayers, we can be the ministry that prepares them to be change agents for a better society, to become good moms and dads, to become involved in their communities and to understand something bigger than them is driving this big ole ship. That something is a God that truly loves them.
Let’s inspire them all to heights they never could have imagined. So please pray for our country and leaders, and pray that Sunrise might have the wisdom to lead children in a way that enables them to embrace all that we hand over to them.
None of us know what 2021 will bring, but we believe that He has blessed this ministry in the past, He will continue to do so through 2021. Yes, the pandemic has brought countless challenges, but we have found a way, through God’s leading and your help, to continue providing care to our most vulnerable. Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey!
Because of you, the love of Christ has been shared with the broken hearted, and children and families have been given a fresh start. Your compassion is greatly appreciated this year and always. Your prayers and support will help us continue to change the lives of children and families in a constantly changing world.
With great hope,
Dale Suttles
President
Jeremy Teal is the director and owner of Paul Mitchell The School in Lexington and Louisville. About 17 years ago, Jeremy was introduced to the salon business and eventually fell in love with the industry. “You genuinely connect with people with passion in this industry,” said Jeremy. “There’s just a contagious energy. It’s what they wanted their entire life. So, I just kind of fell in love with that energy and that passion.”
He also fell in love with the students that attend Paul Mitchell The School. “I kind of affectionately named our school the island of misfit hairdressers, kind of a play off Rudolph and the island of misfit toys,” shared Jeremy. “Most of (the students) are creative. Nobody really understood them because of their creative nature, because of the way they learned. They didn’t connect well with teachers.” As a result, The School uses curriculum that targets the best way each student processes new information.
Jeremy truly cares for all of his students. So, it seemed natural that with this kind of compassion for young people, Sunrise would eventually find him. “I walked into the school one day, and somebody left a folder and about 10 business cards on my desk,” Jeremy said. “So, I opened it up. It was all the information about Sunrise.”
Although Jeremy didn’t know much about our ministry at the time, eventually Sunrise would become part of the school’s annual fundraising, thanks to the name on the business cards: Rick Burslem, Sunrise Vice President for Marketing & Advancement. Jeremy had known Rick for several years. “I knew if he was willing to put his name behind something, and jump on board to support it, it had to be worthwhile,” Jeremy shared.
Jeremy quickly discovered a similarity between his students and Sunrise kids. “With some of the stories that Rick told me in the very beginning, it’s very similar,” Jeremy explained. In fact, as he described his own students at Paul Mitchell The School, it became evident that he was also describing many of the children and youth in our Sunrise programs: “They never really fit in where they were. Now they have this opportunity to be somewhere where they are loved every day, where they’re not judged, and where they can come be whoever it is they want to be. It’s empowering for them.”
In the beginning, Jeremy’s decision to make an investment in Sunrise was mostly about his relationship with Rick. Now, it’s about the potential in our Sunrise boys and girls. “An investment in Sunrise is a lot like an investment in the future,” Jeremy said. “My hope would be – and I think it would be amazing – that the future governor of the state comes out of Sunrise. I think a kid like that can take (his or her) experience and really understand what needs to be done versus the kid who has never experienced true tragedy or a true hurdle in life. How do you man a state, a city, a county – how do you lead – if you’ve never really experienced that before? So, I think the kids that come out of Sunrise are kids that can make a difference, that can do something bigger and better.”
Jeremy doesn’t hold back in encouraging others to invest in Sunrise as well. “With Sunrise, you get kids that have life experience that want to see things done differently,” stated Jeremy. “That’s what I would tell someone that wanted to pick a charity. You’re investing in that future. You’re not investing in a cure or a cause. You’re actually investing in a kid. To see that kid grow and flourish and become something better – I think there is no greater reward than that.”
