2017 was a successful and positive year here at Your Sunshine. Through all of our events and
activities this year, our goal has stayed the same – to enrich the lives of children and youth with
special needs.
Your Sunshine, based in Oakton, Virginia, is a nonprofit organization offering programs aimed
at instructing special needs individuals in order to empower them and unlock their unique skills
and potential.
This summer, Your Sunshine hosted multiple events and activities.
To kick off the summer season, we hosted a strawberry picking day with a pot luck meal. We came together and car pooled to Hollins Farm where we picked strawberries and had a picnic.
In June of 2017, we held our big talent show event. Hidden Talents Shine up was a talent show put on by individuals with special needs. There were 18 performers and over 200 people that came to support the show. All of the participants impressed the audience with their amazing performances and proved that everyone has a talent inside. There were piano players, singers, and dancers who all worked hard while also having fun and feeling comfortable in their skin.
Our next adventure this summer was a trip to the Shenandoah Waterfall. We came together and
hiked to the waterfall at Shenandoah National Park. At the top of the mountain, we learned
breathing techniques to find our inner peace. It was a great day to take memorable pictures, make new friends, and relax/meditate.
In July, Your Sunshine hosted a “zoofari adventure.” A group of us headed to Roer’s Zoofari on July 1st where we got to pet the animals, make new friends, and celebrate all June birthdays
with pizza. It was amazing to see the smiles and joy on the children’s faces that joined.
Throughout the summer, Your Sunshine offered multiple classes and activities – hula hoop and
dancing, soap making, necklace making, planting, drumming, lavender picking, and more!
This fall, Your Sunshine gained a new program called “Adapted Sunshine Yoga and
Mindfulness.” The sessions were adapted for students with special needs and were taught by
Your Sunshine’s president and co-founder, Anastasia Martynova. As a certified yoga instructor,
Martynova is committed to guiding students through experiencing the deep meaning behind yoga practices. The adapted yoga and mindfulness sessions includes a sequence of yoga poses (all of which modifications are offered for), breathing techniques, color therapy, self-massage, positive self-talk therapy, and mindful relaxation techniques. The aim of these techniques is for all students to achieve the benefits, such as mind-body alignment and improved stamina and
balance, that these practices cultivate.
2017 was a busy but successful year for Your Sunshine. As we are growing and evolving, we
look forward to the new year to show the community all of the other activities and gifts we have
to offer. Thanks to everyone who joined us to make this year as special as it was!