“It (COVID-19) has added the responsibility of keeping the kids aware of what is going on with the pandemic and processing their thoughts, questions, and fears.” – Sunrise Direct Care Counselor II Steve Dillard from Crossroads Treatment Center in Elizabethtown

“COVID-19 has certainly changed everything as we know it. It has impacted my job by introducing telehealth services in place of face-to-face sessions. This change has prompted me to engage in more creative interactions within sessions.” – Sunrise Owensboro and Bowling Green Foster Care Therapist Sheri Hunt

“Since mid to late March, our facility has been on full lockdown. Our families are not allowed to come in to see us, and we are not allowed to go see them; even churches that would come on weekends and give us a message or just play basketball with kids, are excluded. This time has given us all an opportunity to bond and create relationships with each other we didn’t know were possible.” – Ru Jones, former Sunrise Spring Meadows Center client, written May 2020

“Hello Guys- I just wanted to take a moment and say that I know the media is singing about the healthcare workers and other essential employees. I also sing their praise and feel VERY thankful for all the essential employees out working. However, there is a different story that will most likely not be nationally told. That story is of the residential mental health care worker. A mental health worker already endures a numerous amount of physical and emotional stress that comes with working with people in crisis.  Words and stories rarely do justice to describe the strength it takes to work in this field. Now, add that our future is blurry, our home life has been shaken, and our clients are scared, and we must muster even more strength and courage to deal with the amplified mental health issues. We do this while dealing with a crisis of keeping our clients safe and while attempting to keep our own families safe. We are constantly shifting our roles from  counselor, co-worker, mother, father, partner, friend, teacher, and Toilet Paper Hunter.  We do this while we are also going through a very human experience of experiencing fear of uncertainty.   I am proud to be a part of a team of amazing people that do this all while making it look easy. I just wanted to say that I know there is strength happening that will never get the attention it deserves, and I am proud to work with you.” – Sunrise Crossroads Treatment Center Program Director Jalena Robertson, written to encourage fellow Sunrise program directors

“They (Sunrise team members) have been warriors throughout this crisis. Many have families of their own that they leave in quarantine to take care of Kentucky’s orphans.” – Sunrise President Dale Suttles

The “new normal” has encouraged the girls who live at Sunrise’s Glen Dale Center in Elizabethtown to spend their time growing gardens.