News & Updates

Mississippi Pilot Program Offers Driver’s Education for Foster-Care Students

Sunnybrook Children’s Home offers a driver’s education course for its residents. Through a grant from the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services, Sunnybrook is now expanding the program.

A Christmas Wish List for Transitional-Age Youth: What They Really Need

December often brings on a time of reflection and gratitude. It brings days like Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving that helps kick off the giving season, time with family and friends, shorter days and colder nights, gift-giving, and Christmas. As you gather with...

Giving the Gift of Education and Career Dreams this Christmas

Did you know 3% of foster youth earn a college degree by the age of 26, compared to 30% of their peers who are not in foster care? (Source: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago) That is a large gap considering there are about 369,000 children in foster care...
Uplifting Hearts and Hope: Counseling at Sunnybrook

Uplifting Hearts and Hope: Counseling at Sunnybrook

In 2014 the U.S. Senate declared June as National PTSD Awareness Month, a disease that impacts 25% of our foster care youth often stemming from histories of abuse, trauma, and neglect. At the age of five, Kenny Spansel knew he was different. His speech impediment...

Carrying the Torch: Advancing the Ministry

Carrying the Torch: Advancing the Ministry

Launching a new foster care program for adolescents might seem daunting for some, but not for Executive Director Myrle Grate. When asked to lead the charge he accepted the challenge without question. Grate embarked on his calling at Sunnybrook three years ago when he...

Tim Waldrop Reflects on 40 Years of Living and Working at Sunnybrook

Tim Waldrop Reflects on 40 Years of Living and Working at Sunnybrook

At the age of 13, Tim Waldrop's world turned upside down when his mother passed away, leaving him and his five younger brothers without a caretaker.  Shortly after entering the care of Child Protective Services, he and his brothers were referred to Sunnybrook, a...

How Sunnybrook’s Maintenance Man Helps Repair Broken Souls

How Sunnybrook’s Maintenance Man Helps Repair Broken Souls

At first glance, his name tag says it all: Mo Ghaffarian, Maintenance Manager.  His job is to repair anything and everything that breaks at Sunnybrook, a transitional living home that supports and guides foster adolescents in Mississippi. After nearly 60 years of...

Young Life Summer Camp Proves Transformative for Sunnybrook Girls

Young Life Summer Camp Proves Transformative for Sunnybrook Girls

After months of planning, preparation and prayer, there was much to celebrate when Sunnybrook residents returned from their first Carolina Point Young Life camp experience.  Young Life provides a five-star camping experience, packed with summer fun, and a message...

Back to School: Help Unlock the Future for Foster Youth

Back to School: Help Unlock the Future for Foster Youth

The promise of another school year is upon us, and the youth at Sunnybrook are preparing for their next academic adventure. As they look ahead to a new class schedule with new teachers, the opportunity for a brighter, more educated future has the power to alter the...

A Sunnybrook Success Story: Welcomed Back with Open Arms

A Sunnybrook Success Story: Welcomed Back with Open Arms

Swaying back and forth on the porch swing in the backyard of her teenage home, Deondra Willis reflected on her experience at Sunnybrook, a residential campus supporting foster youth ages 16-24. Her journey began five years ago when she found herself standing in front...

Sunnybrook Houseparents: Hospitality at the Front Lines of Faith

Sunnybrook Houseparents: Hospitality at the Front Lines of Faith

Sunnybrook houseparents serve an essential role in our ministry, building a Christian foundation with our residents and shepherding them into a productive life. Human connection has the power to change lives. Its consistent presence helps lay the foundation for key...

Harry’s Take: My Foster Family Saved My Life

Harry’s Take: My Foster Family Saved My Life

Learning the True Meaning of Family Thinking back on it nearly six decades later, Harry Liggett can describe his home life in nine simple words that hold an ocean of meaning: “Things were not well and life was not good.” At times, Liggett’s household included a...

Win-Win With Sunnybrook: Donate Today, Reduce Your Tax Bill

Win-Win With Sunnybrook: Donate Today, Reduce Your Tax Bill

Every day across Mississippi, the Sunnybrook team provides programs and facilities to help loving families nurture foster children within a stable, Christian environment.  The impact of services like ours has been measured in the most important ways, as the...

Combating Poverty and Socioeconomic Injustice in the City

Combating Poverty and Socioeconomic Injustice in the City

 At Sunnybrook, you will find a classroom filled with sheets of paper taped to the walls, each one written on with different colored sharpies and post-it notes. This is the classroom where Sunnybrook residents come weekly to participate in two courses: Work Life...

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