Nominations for the 2010 Sunshine Peace Awards are now open.  Please click below to access the nomination form. 

All nominations must be postmarked by March 1, 2010.

2010 Sunshine Peace Award nomination form

The Sunshine Peace Award was established to honor the vital role that workers in the domestic violence field play within our communities. Seldom do we acknowledge the enormous influence grassroots organizations have in developing resources and in facilitating the social change necessary to end violence against women and children. Each day hundreds of individuals work countless hours to bring hope, healing and safety to survivors of abuse. It is the intent of this award to recognize the courage and strength of these individuals and through that recognition, to encourage their ongoing efforts.

The Sunshine Peace Award program recognizes extraordinary individuals who make a difference; those who help to build communities that are intolerant of domestic violence and through whose work peoples' lives are changed for the better. Candidates are nominated and selected on excellence in administration of programs and in victim advocacy.

Previous Sunshine Peace Award Recipients

2008 Recipients
Charlotte Blodgett, Burlington YWCA Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center, Burlington, IA
Patricia Brown, Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley, Radford, VA
Dinora Carrejo-Guthrie, Option, Inc., Hobbs, NM
Janet Chaize, Alternatives for Battered Women, Rochester, NY
Cathy Church, Access Justice Now, Marquette, MI
Jim & Elsa Croucher, Citizens Against Domestic Violence, Liberty Township, OH *
Karla Gonzales, San Miguel Resource Center, Telluride, CO
Marcia Gordon, Elizabeth Stone House, Squantum, MA
Patricia Griffen, Against Abuse, Inc., Casa Grande, AZ
Dolly Grimes Johnson, Sojourner Truth House, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Susan Lob, Battered Women's Resource Center, New York, NY
Karen Long-Hatfield, Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program, Pagosa Springs, CO
Kam Lou Lopez, Center for Pacific Asian Family, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Echo Lucas, Christians as Family Advocates, Eugene OR
Kathleen O'Brien, PhD, Walden/Sierra, Leonardtown, MD
Marilyn Smith, Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services, Seattle, WA
Deborah Tucker, National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Austin, TX
Mary Walton, Interval House, Long Beach, CA
Tootie Welker, Sanders County Coalition for Families, Plains, MT
Debra Williams, Coburn Place Safe Haven, Indianapolis, IN


2006 Recipients
Linda Barnard, Sacramento CA
Jean Bockstahler, REACH of Jackson County , Sylva, NC
Keeley Crowley, Domestic Violence Center , Manitowac , WI
Betty Fortuin, VOANNE, S. Portland , ME
Carol Gresham, Shelter Agencies for Families in East Texas , Mt. Pleasant, TX
John Guard, IV, Pitt County Sheriff's Office, Greenville , NC
Linda Crockett Jackson, BRIDGES of Williamson County , Franklin , TN
Donna Jacobs, Victim Services of Cullman, Cullman , AL
Lenny Marano, Domestic Abuse Services, Inc., Great Meadows, NJ
Moncella McCree-Smith, Newhouse, Grandview , MO
Cynthia Murphy, SafeNet, Erie , PA
Rhea Murray , Turning Point DV Services, Seymour , IN
Rose Pulliam , Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, S. Burlington , VT
Sandra Ramos, Strengthen Our Sisters, Ringwood , NJ
Carolyn Rexius, Christians Addressing Family Abuse, Eugene , OR
Lynn Rosenthal , Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Miami , FL
Patti Schwarztrauber, Artemis Center , Dayton , OH
Olga Trujillo, ORT Solutions, Inc., Alexandria , VA
Joanne Tulonen, Battered Women's Resources, Inc., Fitchburg , MA
Kathy Whalen, Huntington House, Huntington , PA


2004 Recipients
Margaret Anglin, Harbor House, Orlando, Florida
Julia Arno, Esq., Family Fiolence Law Center, Oakland, Calif
Judy Bell, YWCA of Northeast Louisiana, Monroe, Louisiana
Vashti Bates Bledsoe, Luthern Settlement House Bilingual DV Program, Philadelphia, PA
Sharon Burner, Community Crisis Center, Inc., Elgin, Illinois
Inhe Choi, Crossroads Fund, Chicago, Ill
Harriette Davis, NNWP, California
Karen Desselle, Serenity, Inc., Flippen, Arkansas
Suzanne Dubus, The Women's Crisis Center, Newberry Port, Mass
Suzanne Enck-Wanzer, Middle Way House, Bloomington, Indiana
Brynna Fish, Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
Donna Garske, Marin Abused Women's Services,  San Rafael, CA
Evelyn Hibbs, Women in Safe Home, Inc., Muskogee, OK
Mina Kedar, PhD, Downtown Women's Center, Los Angeles, CA
Mary Beth Loucks-Sorrell, NC Coalition Against DV, Durham, NC
Elizabeth Martin, WomensLaw.org, Brooklyn, NY
Cynthia Peoples, Caring Unlimited, Maine
Peggy Sanderson, YWCA of Walla Walla (Retired), Walla Walla, WA
Shawna Sodersten, Domestic Violence Clearinghouse, Hawaii
Beth Stein, Crisis Connection, Jasper, Indiana
Cassandra Thomas, Houston Area Women's Center, Houston, TX
Martha Voyles, Middle Way House, Bloomington, Ind.
Patricia Youngblood, The Albemarle HOPELINE, Elizabeth City, NC


2002 Recipients
Barbel Adkins, Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Inc., Troy, OH
Kimberly Black Wisseman, SafePlace, Austin, TX
Joyce Bunch-Smalling, The Haven of RCS Domestic Violence Center, Largo, FL
Patrick Cahill, Leavenworth County Attorney's Office, Leavenworth, KS
Joy Cunningham, Durham Crisis Response Center, Durham, NC *
Karen Curlee, Houston Area Women's Center, Houston, TX
Shirley Erhart, Crisis Intervention Shelter Services, Lemmon, SD
Paige Flink, The Family Place, Dallas, TX
Lora Fyfe, Women Helping Women, Cincinnati, OH
Ada Gregory, Durham Crisis Response Center, Durham, NC *
Clema Lewis, Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Christiansted, VI **
Paula Lucas, American Women Overseas, Portland, OR
Linda Madeksho, The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc., Pasadena, TX
Mary Mingus, Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Christiansted, VI **
Ligy Pullappally, LifeSpan, Chicago, IL
Peggie Reyna, LACAAW, Los Angeles, CA
Carol Seaver, Milwaukee Women's Center, Milwaukee, WI
Rita Smith, NCADV, Denver, CO
Sherry Tolli, HomeSafe, Hendersonville, TN
Todd Werner, Children's Service Society of Wisconsin, Wausau, WI
Barbara Wingo, Anna Bixby Women's Center, Harrisburg, IL
Rita Wright, YWCA of Cortland, NY, Cortland, NY
Gail Zorn, St. Agnes Hospital Domestic Violence Program, Fond du Lac, WI
Joan Zorza, Domestic Violence Report/Sexual Assault Report, Washington, DC


2000 Recipients
Anna Blau, International Women's House, Inc., Decatur GA
Connie Collins, Phelps County Family Crisis Services, Inc., Rolla, MO
Susan Curtis, Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter, Leesburg, VA
Thea DuBow, My Sister's Place, Scarsdale, NY
Mary Frances Ellzey, Panhandle Crisis Center, Perryton, TX
Roberta Hallinen, SAFE Inc., Brevard, NC
Stacey Kabat, Peace at Home, Squantum, MA
Nancy K. D. Lemon, Family Violence Law Center, Berkeley, CA
Eleanor McSwain, Women's Center of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
Liza-Jane Nichols, Safe Harbors, Enterprise, OR
Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles, CA
Aleene Robinson, Resource Center Network, Pearl, MS
Mary Theroith, Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA
Wanda Vasquez, Victim Services of New York City, Woodside, NY
Yvette Waters, Elko Committee Against Domestic Violence, Elko, NV


1998 Recipients
Nina Balsam, Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence, St. Louis, MO
Peggy Bird, Shiprock, NM
Mary Ann Lam Bui, Interval House Crisis Shelters, Seal Beach, CA
Dora Bush, Center for Women and Families, Fredricksburg, IN
Felicia Collins Correia, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc., Tulsa, OK
Dolores Davis, HAVIN, Kittanning, PA
Anna Diaz-White, The Women's Center of Monmouth County, Inc., Hazlet, NJ
Susan Else, Hope House, Inc., Independence, MO
Martha Friday, Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Tara Hardy, ABLE, Seattle, WA
Abigail Jenkins-Healy, Catholic Charities, Inc., Natchez, MS
Anne Marshall, Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Duluth, MN
Linda Osmundson, CASA, St. Petersburg, FL
Niki Paul, Ph.D., Tucson, AZ
Holly Rosen, MSU Safe Place, E. Lansing, MI
Elvia Ruiz, Interval House Crisis Shelters, Seal Beach, CA
Betty Ryan-Della Corte, The Faith House Agencies, Glendale, AZ
Nicholas Serna, Legal Aid of Central Texas, Belton, TX
Bernice Sisson, St. Paul Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, St. Paul, MN
Midge Watson, ESUBA, Inc., Tallahassee, FL

* co-recipients
** co-recipients