UPCOMING EVENTS

August 3, 2010
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
National Night Out at Second Street School. A nationwide program to strengthen police and community partnerships for crime prevention. The public is encouraged to attend this event

RECENT EVENTS

June 19, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Diaper Drive at Wal-Mart to collect donations for our Crisis Intervention program. Donations needed: Diapers size 4, 5, & 6, Pull-ups, 24 Months/ 2T Clothing, and Baby Hygiene Products

April 16, 2010
7:30 p.m.
The Sunshine Center's "Caring for Kids Benefit Concert" featuring Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek) and Jeri Katherine Howell

Our History

In 1982, a group of citizens concerned about the problems of child abuse and its effect on children and families in our community came together and formed the Frankfort Area Children’s Council.  In 1984, we adopted the name ‘The Sunshine Center,’ and began to offer respite to at-risk parents who were in crisis and struggling with their parenthood.  The Center provided educational resources for these parents and referrals to other community agencies in an effort to give them the support they needed to change abusive patterns of parenting.

In 1986, we started providing parenting classes to parents of children from birth through eighteen years of age to families in the Franklin County community.  By structuring the classes according to the ages of the children, the goal was and continues to be, to provide parents with the tools they need to change their behaviors, enabling them to become positive and nurturing parents.  During this year, we were also lucky enough to obtain funding for two part-time therapists to provide counseling to child victims and adult survivors of childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.  Therapy was also in place for victims of family violence and children that witnessed family violence in their home.  Our therapists assist our clients in coping with the effects of abuse by aiding them during their healing process.

In the more recent years, The Sunshine Center recognized a need for supervised visitation services in Franklin County.  As a center that works toward children’s safety, we started providing supervised visitation to assist children in establishing a healthy relationship with non-custodial family members in a monitored environment.

Many of the families who utilize the services provided by the Center are at or below the poverty level.  We provide limited assistance to low income families through our Crisis Intervention Program in the form of diapers, formula, baby food, and children’s clothing. 

The majority of the individuals who receive services from the Center reside in Frankfort and Franklin County.  However, we regularly provide services to children and adults from Anderson, Henry, Owen, and Shelby County.  In 2008, The Sunshine Center provided over 500 families with our services.