April 17, 2008
Teddy Bear with a Heartbeat
Today, I brought Wishbone to work. Wishbone is my 11 year old Golden Retriever who happens to be a certified therapy dog here at Sunflower House. It is remarkable the kind of response we get from kids, families, and even the staff when Wishbone is in the building. He makes everyone happy. I call him my "Teddy Bear with a heartbeat". The great thing about dogs is that they love you no matter what. They don’t pass judgment on your behavior and they don’t laugh at your imperfections.
They also have a keen sense of knowing when you are hurting. There is scientific proof that pets can lower a person’s blood pressure and people with pets live longer. Pets have been used to build trust and teach discipline and are even used in schools to help children read. Many times we have children come through our doors clinging to their parents because there are experiencing the trauma of abuse – usually sexual abuse. The sight of a golden furry friend with a smile on his face is a welcome sight. By the time the children leave, they are coloring pictures of Wishbone, having conversations with him or tracking him down to say goodbye. And, I think the staff loves him as much as the kids do. He knows which staff members stop at McDonald’s on the way to work, who has treats, where the refrigerator is and who will give in and get him a bowl of ice when he carries it around with a pitiful look on his face. He even knows when the work day is done. I am blessed to be able to take him home at night. If you are ever at Sunflower House – ask for Wishbone and be prepared to feel great the rest of the day.
April 11, 2008
Volunteers Like No Other
This past weekend, Sunflower House held its annual Circle of Safety event at Nebraska Furniture Mart. The goal was to provide safety tips to parents and their children during Child Abuse Prevention Month. We couldn’t have seen the hundreds of kids that day without the help of our wonderful volunteers. They gave up a good part of their weekend to help us. They are so generous and enthusiastic. They love kids and they want to keep them safe.
No task is too bizarre, from crawling onto a fire truck inside a bear suit for a parade to putting together decorations for a fundraising event. Sunflower House volunteers have planted flowers, manned informational booths, donated items, and kept our pantry stocked with snacks for kids. They are always there when we need them. If you are looking for a group to join that is making a difference in the community, I hope you will consider joining the Friends of Sunflower House. Just contact our volunteer coordinator at allison@sunflowerhouse.org.
April 1, 2008
Taylor's Snacks
I am constantly amazed at the creativity and generosity of kids. Children often bring gifts collected at their own birthday parties and donate them to Sunflower House.
Today we were really inspired by a 14 year old boy named Taylor Whitlow who delivered snack foods to Sunflower House. Often we have children here for several hours and when they get hungry we want to have snacks on hand. Taylor heard about this last year. For the second year in a row, he went to Price Chopper and asked them to donate grocery bags. He made up some flyers, stapled them to the bags and distributed them throughout his neighborhood. He asked people to fill up the bags with the suggested snacks and to leave them on their front porchs for pick-up. In all, Taylor gathered up 27 grocery bags full of snacks. Plenty for the next several months. This not only says a lot about the generosity of Taylor, but the good lessons his mother is teaching her boys, Taylor and Trevor.
What lessons of philanthropy are you sharing with your children? We would love to give you some ideas. Visit the wish list section of the website or give us a call. Kids helping Kids is so inspiring and teaches lessons that last a life time.
March 19, 2008
A Lifetime of Pain
An older woman called Sunflower House a few years ago and asked to talk to one of our social workers. She began to talk about being sexually abused as a little girl and how it impacted her life. Our trained staff listened and recommended a professional therapist as we do for all people struggling with the aftermath of this horrible violation. The woman declined and told our social worker…”I don’t need a therapist, you see I have cancer. I have never talked about what happened to me and I just wanted to tell one person before I die.”
This is the lifelong shame and pain that is sexual abuse. It used to be an issue the community did not want to talk about, acknowledge or get involved with. That began to change in 1977 when Sunflower House began advocating for these children. For more than 30 years now, Sunflower House has been providing training and education to keep kids safe. Child abuse is still far too common, but now the community has come together to support this remarkable house. At Sunflower House we work with law enforcement in 21 jurisdictions in both Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, Child Protective Services, the medical and mental health community and family advocates. We work to ensure that children who are abused have a place to be heard and a chance that their abuser will be held accountable. It is also a place where they can begin the healing process and know that what happened to them was not their fault.
Through this website you will learn a lot about Sunflower House, ways you can protect your children and how you can get involved, but nothing tells the full story like visiting our facility in person. I’d like to personally invite you to one of our monthly informational tours. To sign up, just click HERE or on the “take a tour” button to the left. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
