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Celebrating 40 Years At Sunshine School

    A large group of well-wishers convened at the First Baptist Church of Umatilla on Sunday evening, as the church’s Sonshine School child care center marked 40 years of service to the community.  During a celebration that was moved indoors due to potential inclement weather, guests enjoyed hot dogs, snow cones, popcorn, bounce houses, and a chance to catch up with current and former members of the Sonshine School family.
    A highlight of the event was a return of former directors, including B.J. Hitchcock, Lynn Reed, Debbie Rogers, and Donna Hardcastle. The quartet visited with former students and parents, and three even took a turn speaking during the event's formal program.
    "Thank you, First Baptist Church," said Hardcastle, "I appreciate the years I was able to serve."  As the school's longest-serving director, Hardcastle stewarded the program through its darkest moment, when the school's original home along Trowell Avenue at Cassady Street burned.  That was a Saturday, but the school was ready to open at the church's main campus by Monday.
    “The school was not closed one day,” she said.
    Hitchcock and Reed oversaw the creation of the school, and both reminisced during the program starting with just eleven children.
    “None of us knew what we were doing, we just did it,” said Reed.