Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising!

A copy of the letter I sent on behalf of Sunflower Kids concerning the auction.
 

Last Friday (September 18th), I was able to volunteer with Sunflower Kids for the first time. I was so nervous beforehand, especially because I had no idea what I would be doing once I got there or what the environment would be like, but I was also really excited. I couldn't wait to help out, regardless of what I would be doing, and I was curious to see what the day-to-day workings of Sunflower Kids involved.

Once I got there, I found out that I would be helping with fundraising efforts for a live auction that Sunflower Kids is hosting in October. For this event, the organization is asking local businesses to donate either items for themed baskets or an entire themed basket that can be auctioned off, with all proceeds going toward helping Sunflower Kids to serve more families in the area. (I have included the list of basket ideas below!)

I sent numerous emails to a variety
of local businesses asking for
donations.

In order to contact local businesses, I created emails explaining the auction and attached a copy of a list of basket themes to each one. I then had to research local businesses that might be able to donate to Sunflower Kids, search for contact information for each business, and then use that information to send a copy of the email I had created. I repeated this process for several companies within the area and ended up sending a LOT of emails by the end of the day.

By the time I finished volunteering, I had spent two hours and fifteen minutes creating and sending fundraising emails. It was a really laid-back way to volunteer, and if even one email generates a response, I would definitely consider it to be a successful session. Although fundraising wasn't necessarily the most fascinating activity, it gave me insight into an aspect of Sunflower Kids that I hadn't previously considered and made me realize that, even though Sunflower Kids has services focused on the aftermath of domestic violence, they still have to fundraise in order to continue to offer these services. They are not partially financed by the government or the court system as one might expect, despite the fact that their patrons are usually court-ordered to seek their services and the state requires that these services be offered. 

Regardless of the potential questions and topics of debate posed by the fact that Sunflower Kids has to fundraise, however, I'm still very glad I picked Sunflower Kids as my organization, and I can't wait until the next time I get to help out!

 

 

Sunflower Kids: Getting Started

The Sunflower Kids Logo is joyful and happy, a great representation of the organization.

      

       After one visit with the Executive Director of Sunflower Kids, Stephanie Hoffman, I knew I was going to love working with this organization. 

        Sunflower Kids is best described by taking a look at their mission: "Sunflower Kids uniquely supports Kentucky families and safe communities through Supervised Visitation Services. Sunflower Kids values safety, justice, and respect so that all individuals are empowered to live free of violence." The non-profit features a FAQ on the website which answers many questions I had about the organization, clarifying common terms they use on the site. 

Below, see answers to commonly asked, interesting

 questions found on the website. 

There is no court order to use Sunflower Kids' services.  Are we still able to do so?

A: Most families are referred to SFK through a court order; however, SFK also accepts referrals from community and state agencies and self-referrals by families.

We have a no-contact protective order in place. How can I be sure I won’t run into him/her when taking my child(ren) to visit?

A: Sunflower Kids uses staggered arrival and departure times to ensure that parties will not come in contact with one another during visits or exchanges.

What does the Visitation Monitor do during visitations?

A: The Visitation Monitor remains in the room with the visiting party and children at all times to ensure the safety of the children.  The Monitor is there to observe and record the interactions between the visiting party and the children, but does so with as little interference as possible.  The Monitor only interferes in the visit if SFK guidelines are not being followed.

       During our group orientation, Stephanie explained how the organization works, expanding on the mission. Families that have experienced violence or abuse can have a safe visit with their children & other family members. Stephanie explained how safety is a huge priority, & off duty police officers are present when high risk visitors are there. I thought this was very interesting, & it makes me feel like the volunteering experience is going to run safely & smoothly. 

      

       Stephanie is extremely organized, yet very flexible with volunteers. After looking through my schedule, I decided that Wednesdays would probably work best. I will arrive at about 3:15 & help with office work like answering the phone. When visitations begin, I will be an extra pair of hands to answer the door, phones, or just make sure things are running smoothly. I will stay for a few hours each time I volunteer.

 

A lively little girl's photo featured on sunflowerkids.org. Don't you just love that happy face? 

        I'm really looking forward to becoming involved with Sunflower Kids. I love children and I love the vision they have for violence free visitation for families. I can’t wait to volunteer here and see how I can impact other’s lives through service. I feel like volunteering for Sunflower Kids will help me grow as a person and I can’t wait to get started! 

Until next time,

Shelby 

        

        

Sunflower Kids: Safe Service for Families

 

          Unfortunately, there are families in our own city of Lexington that struggle with domestic violence and abuse. These are issues that I believe that no person should have to deal with, which is why I am excited for the opportunity to be able to make a difference regarding these issues. By volunteering at Sunflower Kids, I know I will have a part in a family feeling safer and better protected. According to their website, Sunflower Kids provides "safe supervised visitation and monitored exchange services to families with a history of domestic violence, child abuse and/or neglect, sexual assault, stalking, substance abuse, and mental health issues." Families are able to meet at this safe place to exchange their child from one parent to another, or in extreme cases, have a monitored visit with their child. 

           On Friday, our service learning group was able to go to Sunflower Kids for an orientation. We met Stephanie Hoffman, the Executive Director of Sunflower Kids, and she told us what the organization was all about and what to expect while we are volunteering there. An alarming piece of information that she shared with us, and why I believe Sunflower Kids is so important, is that when a person leaves a controlling or violent marriage, the risk of them being injured or killed actually dramatically increases. I don't think that anyone should have to be afraid to walk away from an abusive marriage, although that is normally the case. Sunflower Kids is so great because a parent and his/her child don't have to be afraid to come in contact with the abuser when they are exchanging the child from one parent to the other. I also believe that this is a great system because no matter how terrible a parent is, it is still important for them to remain in contact with their child so that the child doesn't feel neglected or abandoned. The Sunflower Kids website states, "We believe that children deserve access to all the people they love, but that access should be in a safe and supportive environment." Through Sunflower Kids, a child can still remain in contact with his/her parent but will not be in any danger while doing so.

Stephanie Hoffman, Executive Director at Sunflower Kids 

          At the orientation, I learned that half of the time I will be helping the staff by doing jobs like answering the phone or cleaning. Sunflower Kids has a small staff that has to work very hard, so I am glad that I will be an extra person to help out. The other half of the time, I will be assisting while visits are taking place. I am looking forward to being there during the visits so I can see how domestic violence and abuse have affected these families and how Sunflower Kids has helped them. I believe that Sunflower Kids is an amazing organization, and I am excited about the opportunity to be able to volunteer there.  

Sunflower Kids: An Overview

What is and is not in the best interests of a child is a topic often debated, especially in a place as diverse in both cultures and mindsets as America. Some people will tell you that drinking cow's milk is terrible for children, some people believe that children shouldn't play video games, and some people believe that their children would be better educated at home by their parents than they would be at a public school. The State of Kentucky believes that children should be in contact with both of their parents, regardless of the parents' past behaviors. This, unfortunately, means that even parents that have abused the child or the child's other parent will have visitation rights to the child in the event of a divorce between said child's parents. Providing a safe environment for these children and children whose parents are dealing with other issues such as substance abuse and mental illness to meet with their parents is the mission of a small organization headquartered right here in Lexington known as Sunflower Kids.

The Sunflower Kids Logo

My first impression from looking at a more detailed overview of the organization’s website is that it is everything I signed up for when I designated it as my first choice during the service learning organization selection process. One gets right down in the thick of it by being a volunteer here. As I previously stated, its mission is to facilitate meetings where children who come from family environments plagued by physical/sexual abuse, substance abuse, mental illness, and other horrible situations can be in a room with their parent(s) and feel that they are in a safe environment. This program is helping to save families and keep at-risk children safe without completely taking them away from their parents. Volunteers can do anything from cleaning the meeting rooms to helping with fundraising efforts to helping handle the visits and monitored children exchanges. I’m excited to feel like I’m helping some kids have healthy relationships with their parents, and vice versa. I’m looking forward to learning how it feels working with children, as I am planning on going into the medical field and I sometimes debate whether or not I would want to work with children. I'm excited to see what I will end up doing to help this great cause.

Starting Out With Sunflower Kids

           This semester, I am excited to have the opportunity to volunteer with Sunflower Kids, an organization that provides supervised visitation services to families affected by domestic violence. Sunflower Kids was a particularly interesting option to me because of its mission, since it is related to my intended career path because it combines psychology and criminal justice in a tangible, real-world way. Based on this, I wholeheartedly believe that Sunflower Kids provides a meaningful service to those who have dealt with domestic violence, while simultaneously educating others about the nature and impact of it.
         From my experience with Sunflower Kids, I am hoping to learn more about how the aftermath of domestic violence can be handled and about how domestic violence itself can impact a family, and I am excited to see how families recover from domestic violence through supervised visitation services. I definitely think that my experience will be challenging, but I know that I have a lot to learn from this organization that can help me both in my personal and professional life in the future.

         Last Friday, I had the opportunity to see Sunflower Kids for the first time and learn a little bit more about what the organization does. I was surprised at how small the company was, but also impressed at how such a small company can make such a big impact on the lives of kids and parents alike. After a short meeting that went over basic information about the organization and about domestic violence itself, I was more excited than ever to volunteer.
         This Friday, I will have my first volunteering session with Sunflower Kids. Although I'm not yet sure what this session will entail, I am excited to help in whatever way I can, whether it be with administrative help or with actual visitation sessions. I can't wait to begin volunteering with this excellent organization, and I look forward to the next few months of volunteering with them.

Ready for Sunflower Kids!

                  I have been living 20 minutes from Lexington for practically my entire life, but until I was assigned Sunflower Kids as my service learning organization, I hadn’t even heard of it. As I began researching the organization, it intrigued me more and more. I learned that the purpose of Sunflower Kids is to provide “exchange services” and supervised visitation for families with a history of unsafe behaviors. These behaviors could include things such as domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, stalking, and more.

                  The concept of Sunflower Kids really fascinates me. I knew that visitation between parent and child is sometimes limited by the court system, but I hadn’t given much thought towards what that actually entails or how it happens. Sunflower Kids is kind of a mediator between the child and parent, when visitation is limited. They don’t provide evaluations or recommendations to the courts, which allows them to be completely neutral. In my opinion, this furthers the safe environment that Sunflower Kids aims to maintain. I think it is really interesting!

                 This past Friday, we had our first meeting/orientation at Sunflower Kids. The office was at the bottom of a relatively new apartment building. I was immediately greeted by a wall of inspirational quotes and a very smiley staff member. Sunflower kids has a small staff, and they seemed to be extremely excited that we are volunteering. 

                 The meeting was short, but informative. We discussed the history of the organization and a little bit about what we can do while we volunteer. The role that I chose involves helping out with the fundraisers. Sunflower Kids is planning two upcoming events to raise money: a silent auction and a trivia night. I will be responsible for making phone calls or visits to local businesses and helping organize the events. I really enjoy planning, so I am excited to help with this.

                I am looking forward to seeing

what goes into each visitation or exchange, and how fundraising works with a nonprofit like this. The guiding principles of the organization are very respectable, and I can’t wait to see them in action.