(PRESS RELEASE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SERVING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES … Shannon Bova, the chief philanthropy officer for Sunshine Communities, told Archbold Rotarians about Sunshine’s 75th anniversary this year and its capital campaign to raise $3 million to help the organization serve children and adults with developmental disabilities. The program was arranged by Luther Gautsche, left, who serves on the Sunshine Foundation board of directors.
NEW MEMBER … Tod Hug (right), the executive director of the Northwest Ohio Computer Association (NWOCA), became Archbold Rotary’s newest member at the club’s November 1st meeting. NWOCA is part of the Northern Buckeye Education Council, which is based in Archbold. The Northern Buckeye Education Council offers a wide range of technology services support for public and non-public schools as well as governmental entities and businesses. Before becoming the executive director of the Northern Buckeye Education Council and its affiliates, Hug was a school administrator in northwest Ohio. Rotary secretary Kirk Weldy (left) introduced Hug.
As Sunshine Communities celebrates 75 years of serving children and adults with developmental disabilities this year, it is two-thirds of the way to achieving its capital goal of raising $3 million to continue its mission and position itself to serve even more families during its next 75 years.
Shannon Bova, Sunshine’s chief philanthropy officer, shared the organization’s history and its vision for the future at a recent Archbold Rotary meeting.
From its beginning as Sunshine Children’s Home on Maumee Western Road near Maumee in 1950, it has grown to serve the residential, medical and community integration needs of 250 children and adults.
There are now seven homes on Sunshine’s main campus and 11 family care homes in Lucas and Wood counties.
Its 430 employees allow for a 2.5 to 1 staff ratio to serve their most medically fragile residents, including residents with developmental disabilities who are also on ventilators.
The staff includes nurses, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, behavior techs and direct support professionals. Sunshine also has 60 vehicles in its transportation fleet.
Although it started in 1950 as a home for children with specialized needs, it has evolved as many of those children have aged into adulthood.
Nearly 45 years after it opened, it changed its name to Sunshine Communities to reflect its expanded mission.
Bova explained that its current fund-raising campaign reflects those evolving needs. Specifically, they need to modernize and repair its residential facilities and purchase an additional care home. Approximately $2.4 million of their $3 million goal would be used to meet these needs.
Sunshine is one of the few facilities in Ohio that provides long-term ventilator care for individuals with developmental disabilities. A key feature of their program is that it attempts to gradually wean residents from the ventilator so they can live a more normal life.
About $250,000 of their fund-raising goal will allow them to serve more persons through their ventilator program.
The remaining $350,000 of Sunshine’s capital goal would be directed to transportation and technology. Some of their 60 vehicles need to be replaced with new accessible vehicles and others need repairs. According to Bova, Sunshine has raised nearly $2 million.
For Shannon, Sunshine Communities has been more than a job for the last eight years. She is also part of the community of families who are served by Sunshine as her son is one of the 250 individuals that it currently serves.
She doesn’t only see the needs that Sunshine’s facilities and staff provide for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
She also knows and appreciates the difference that Sunshine has made possible for those individuals and their families during its first 75 years and the promise of hope that it will offer for the next 75 years.