Winter 2012

www.sunshine.org

Unexpected GiftsA Young Runner Gives Back Cash Prize

Reflections From A Young Donor

September 8, 2012 was just another day to 24-year-old Evan Gaynor. He woke up early, got into his running gear and headed out to a Saturday race.

For Evan, keeping a pulse on the area 5K races had gotten easy ever since he started working at a local running shop. Running was a passion.

Today, he was heading out to a fundraiser race. He might even have the chance to win $100 cash prize for having the top time. At 8:30 a.m. the gun let out a loud crack and Evan took off with more than 150 other runners at his heels. He finished the race at 8:45 a.m. First place.

After Evan collected his prize money and cooled down, the parking lot began to fill with individuals from Sunshine. Evan had the chance to meet some of the

people who were participating in Sunshine’s fundraiser, though

Evan said he felt that returning the donation was the least he could do.“There are many fine folks that do good deeds unimaginably greater

than a simple cash donation,” Evan said. “I run a lot of road races... Working full time at Dave’s Running Shop and training for marathons, I pretty much eat (a lot!) live and breathe distance running. Yet with all this focus on running, it can be easy to lose sight of what I truly need to be eating, living, and breathing: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.“

Evan also recalled a verse from Luke which says that “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” People like Evan are becoming ore

scarce in such a busy world and a tough economy. Sunshine is lucky to have young donors like Evan on board with our

mission and supporting us along the way. Thank you to Evan and to all Sunshine donors. Your faith in us

continues to inspire.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will

be also.”-Luke 12:34

he had never had much of a connection with Sunshine

before.Slowly but surely,

the parking lot emptied as the participants started off on their walk. As Evan made his way out to his car, he paused, then turned around and walked into the elementary school building. He pulled the cash prize from his pocket and gave it to an event official.

“You don’t have to give this back, you know,” the event official said as Evan handed the money to him.

Evan nodded. “I know,” he said. “But these people need it more than I do.”

Walleye Are People, Too

Legacy Giving To Your Family And Sunshine

Sunshine Inc. of Northwest Ohio, Georgette’s Grounds & Gifts @Sunshine7223, @MyGeorgettes

L ast month, a check for $190,000 was delivered to a charity in Ohio. This was the final distribution of a Charitable Remainder Trust set up when a woman passed away ten years ago. She had taken the time to set up a Testamentary Charitable

Trust in her will, which meant that when she passed away, the money from her estate would fund the Charitable Trust. She wanted the earnings from the Charitable Trust to be divided among her children for the next ten years, then the remaining amount would be given to her favorite charity. After her children had received their funds, the charity received the remaining amount. What an incredible and generous gift!

If you are interested in knowing how you can give to your family and to Sunshine as your legacy, please contact director of legacy giving Douglas Siebenaler in the Sunshine Development Office at 419-794-1393 or dsiebenaler@sunshine.org.

Elizabeth Holland, PhDPresident & CEO

I’ve never been much of a sports fan. My Saturdays and Sundays in the fall are gloriously free of football schedules. To this day I get depressed with the New Year, not because the old year is over but because of all those games.

Of course, life is nothing if not ironic. I spent three years teaching at St. Vincent College, the summer training camp of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I used to take a break and watch the Steelers try to dart across campus to the

dining room without getting caught by a fan. Yes, I kept score. Those big guys never got to lunch. The wide receivers must have gotten takeout for them.

So why have I been reflecting on my bias against sports and the athletes that play them? It occurred to me of late that I have never allowed myself to be open to the possibility that athletes are anything more than chess pieces being shuffled around a board. It’s annoying when your stereotypes are challenged, but challenged they have recently been. Erik Kynard, winner of the Olympic silver medal for high jump, stopped the parade in his honor this summer to jump out of his car and personally shake hands with a group from Sunshine. Two skaters from the Toledo Walleye stopped in to judge Halloween decorations at the Vocational Center. I’m not sure who had more fun; the Walleye or everyone from Sunshine who were there that day.

I realize now that athletes are more than their sport. I’m sure that a lot of confidence comes with being good enough to be at the Olympics, good enough to be a professional. Enough confidence to see that the people at Sunshine are more than their disability. These athletes saw the folks they met that day as a diverse group of people, some funny, some friendly, some sports enthusiasts, and maybe even one or two who didn’t care much for sports. They saw the people first. Thanks to Erik Kynard and the Walleye for helping me see the limits of my own vision. I will see athletes differently now.

Please help me return the favor and open others to seeing that people served at Sunshine are more than their disability. Help me give our community the opportunity to experience the many diverse gifts that people with disabilities have to offer.

www.sunshine.org

Epworth Volunteers Give... And Give And Give

@Sunshine7223, @MyGeorgettes

Sunshine And Ukazoo Team Up To Raise Funds

U kazoo and Sunshine are teaming up! Ukazoo is a used bookstore right here in Toledo with over 120,000 books in stock. Ukazoo accepts donated books and sells them at great prices to the Toledo community.

For limited periods of time, Ukazoo will give the value of the donated books to Sunshine. Ukazoo has also generously offered to give an additional 10% for books donated on behalf of Sunshine.

You know what that means… it’s time to clean off those bookshelves! Books bring so much joy to so many, but they won’t do anyone any good just sitting on a dusty shelf. Drop off your books during these times (and be sure to mention that they are for Sunshine):

January 12-20, 2013: De -clutter your bookshelves after the holiday seasonApril 6-14, 2013: Donate books after your spring cleaning.October 5-13, 2013: Get rid of books now that everyone is officially back in school!Ukazoo is located at 830 N. Westwood Avenue between Dorr and Nebraska in Toledo. They are open

Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Mark your calendar to support reading and Sunshine, all at once!

Sunshine has many standout volunteers and Epworth United Methodist Church volunteers are just that. Epworth has done everything from pulling weeds in Sunshine’s Memorial Garden to painting to reading to the people who live on Sunshine’s main campus. During 2012, Epworth

has contributed more than 70 volunteers who have given 349 service hours!In addition to their tireless volunteerism, the Epworth group has also crossed into donor territory,

giving both funds and goods to help Sunshine’s daily operations. They have even hosted fundraisers that benefit Sunshine, such as their chili cookoff.

Many thanks to our volunteers from Epworth United Methodist Church. Our volunteers help Bridge the Gap at Sunshine every day.

About the Photos (from left to right)

COVER: 1.) Sunshine’s Walk, 5K Run & Roll was a big hit, with more than 800 attendees and $30,000 raised. 2.) Sunshine volunteers brought animals to Sunshine’s Walk, 5K Run & Roll for the children’s area. 3.) Sunshine was fortunate to have many volunteer groups at the Walk, 5K Run & Roll, such as the University of Toledo women’s softball team. 4.) (L-R) Chris, Tammy and Jacob enjoy the Wabash-Cannonball trail together. 5.) Sunshine had almost 200 volunteers at this year’s event.INSIDE: 1.) (Top)Room 3 at Sunshine’s Vocational Center won the Halloween decoration contest for their elaborate paper creations. These flowers were created from folded paper that was decorated by the individuals served in that room. 2.) (Bottom) Toledo Walleye center Joey Martin befriends Aundrea on his visit to judge the Vocational Center’s Halloween decoration contest. 3.) Sunshine’s warm-water pool and whirlpool are open to the public for rentals and arthritis classes and have provided much enjoyment to the people we serve. 4.) Doug proudly sports his clown gear for the Halloween parade hosted on Sunshine’s main campus. 5.) Monique, a member of Sunshine’s supported employment program, serves up lunch at Georgette’s Fair Trade Grounds & Gifts. 6.) Melissa takes inventory of the ceramic bowls she has created at Sunshine Studios for upcoming area art sales.BACK: 1.) (Top) Toledo Walleye defensman David Starenky joins Trey for a photograph during his visit. 2.) Sunshine’s wide variety of ceramics has begun to spark much interest in the community.

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7223 Maumee Western Rd.Maumee, Ohio 43537-9656419-865-0251www.sunshine.org

SunshineTodaySunshine’s mission is to create community among people with developmental disabilities, their families, friends and staff. We do this by offering services that enable all of us to build relationships that enhance our lives through mutual caring and growth.

www.sunshine.org

Walleye Players Visit

Sunshine

Sunshine Studios Finds A New Home

A fter being vacant for three years, the former Artcrest building in uptown Maumee will soon be home to Sunshine Studios. Sunshine Studios is a community of artists with developmental disabilities employed

through Sunshine’s supported employment program.This change to the uptown Maumee area came about after the state of

Ohio approved a community block grant of $200,000 to the city of Maumee for the project. Community block grants are intended to fund local community development. This 6,000-square-foot historic building has stood in uptown Maumee since 1877.

While it was the city of Maumee that received this grant, Sunshine will directly benefit from the funds. The owner of the building, Bob Reichardt, agreed to invest $200,000 to help ensure the remodel is a success.

“This is a unique collaboration between a city government, a private owner and a non-profit organization,” said Deb Rasmusson, director of

Vocational Services at Sunshine.After this historic building is remodeled, all Sunshine Studios projects

will be relocated from Sunshine’s main campus to uptown Maumee. This means that everything from Super Saks to ceramics will soon have a storefront

and work space where more than 20 of Sunshine’s individuals can work and sell products. Sunshine is looking forward to having new face in the community. This building is the perfect way to progress into a future where people with developmental disabilities have a prominent place in the workforce.

T wo Toledo Walleye players visited Sunshine on

October 30, 2012 to judge the hallway decorations at the Vocational Center. Center Joey Martin and defenseman David Starenky spent over an hour making rounds for judging.

“It was great to see the smiles on everyone’s faces,” Joey said when it was all over.

Both players made many new connections. When Trey was having a hard time standing up to get a photo, David sat right down next to him and they were laughing and smiling for the camera. Joey got a good laugh when Rick tried to give him bunny ears for a picture, so for the next photo, Joey gave Rick some bunny ears of his own. Sunshine hopes to recreate the fun next year, since the Walleye have offered to return for next year’s competition.