The SonShine Club was formed by two families (Eric and Joanna Swanson & Larry and Tammy McCullough) who saw the need to shine the love of Christ into the lives of adults with special needs and their caregivers. Two years earlier Larry left his career when a degenerative eye disease began to take his sight and his ability to drive. In the midst of that struggle Eric felt called by the Holy Spirit to hire Larry at Wolverine Coatings Corporation. Larry knew that Wolverine Coatings was actively seeking God’s direction to discover what their primary ministry should be when he prompted Eric to volunteer with a ministry for adults with special needs.
Eric joined Larry in volunteering, despite his initial discomfort. (It’s a common feeling for those who haven’t been around adults with special needs, but, as Eric will tell you, it goes away!) Larry and Tammy McCullough had much experience with adults with special needs through the life of Tammy’s sister with special needs, Teresa. They longed to see a place where Teresa could socialize with her peers and grow with them physically, mentally, and spiritually. Over the next several months it became obvious that a new ministry needed to be formed with different values, structure, and focus.
So, in November of 2010, the two families went on a retreat to the mountains where they laid out their ideas on paper for this new ministry. The SonShine Club was born through the Wolverine Coatings Corporation Foundation. The first Super Saturday was held May 28, 2011. Only 3 friends (adults with special needs) were expected at the first meeting but God had other plans when 41 friends showed up! It was a very emotional day where God showed us how BIG He is. We had an AWESOME day of praise & worship led by Joanna thanking God for showing us that His plans are bigger and better than our plans.