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We Look Forward to Mother's Day
When residents come home to Sonshine, they are greeted by the cheerful sounds of children at play, happy babies and warm welcomes from our friendly staff. We recently celebrated the births of six new babies to mothers in our shelter! Our space is infused with a unique nurturing essence, as our staff support families in their healing process and mothers establish fresh bonds within their community alongside their children.
Women like Judy, who flee domestic violence are courageous. Judy came to Sonshine with her two daughters after five previous stays at domestic violence shelters. This time, Judy shifted her focus from reconciliation of the relationship to separation, independence and healing.
Judy was an incredibly engaged program participant, committed to attending weekly Abuse Awareness groups and counselling sessions. She often shared how she applied her learnings to her daily life, such as practicing assertive communication and how it strengthened her relationships with her children, family and her friends. She felt empowered. Judy also shared that she found comfort in learning from the other women in group, realizing that she was ‘not alone’ and felt validated that the abuse was not ‘her fault.’
While at Sonshine, Judy obtained full time employment, and this allowed her to secure housing and continue her journey in community while accessing follow-up counselling.
Judy utilized her new-found assertiveness to approach an individual who owed her a substantial amount of money, resulting in the successful repayment of the loan. She came back to group the following week and reported her success and noted that it was amazing for her teenaged daughters to observe Mom becoming more confident and assertive.
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