Today we’d like to introduce you to Sunny Thomas.
Hi Sunny, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Thank you for the opportunity to share about my story and the work we do at Tennessee Alliance for Kids. For me, this work actually began in our home long before it became my profession. My husband and I fostered and adopted five of our eight children.
From the outside, our family often looked like the ideal picture. I remember being part of a film project where my husband and I were interviewed about foster care and adoption. In the final cut of the film, my husband and I were sitting in lawn chairs in our big green front yard, with our children idyllically playing behind us as the sun set. It was a beautiful scene.
But when I saw the film, I remember thinking it didn’t tell the whole story. If that is what families expect foster care and adoption to look like every day, they would not be prepared for the complexity and messiness that are often part of the reality.
The reality inside our home was years of patient, daily work. Like many foster and adoptive families, we spent countless ordinary days that quietly turned into years walking through challenges together. We did not always get everything right. We were learning as we went, responding as best we could, growing alongside our children, and often relying on grace when we fell short. What I witnessed in those years was not our strength as parents, but the extraordinary resilience of our children. They carried more than any child should have to carry, and yet they kept showing up and learning to trust.
Alongside that work there has also been incredible joy. Our family is very close. Our children support each other in a way that comes from having walked through hard things together, and there is a deep sense of love and loyalty among them that we cherish. Today we are incredibly proud of the adults they have become and the lives they are building.
Professionally, I’ve always been drawn to work that launches and grows initiatives that strengthen communities. Early in my career I saw firsthand how gaps in access to resources affect children and families across Nashville. Living this experience in our own family later made those issues deeply personal and eventually shaped the direction my professional work would take.
Years later I had the opportunity to begin working with Tennessee Alliance for Kids as a grant writer. Through that work, I gained a deeper understanding of the organization and its impact on children and families in our state. Over time, I realized I wanted to be more deeply involved in helping the organization grow and expand its reach.
After our children were grown, I stepped into the role of Director of Development. Today, my work focuses on building the partnerships, resources, and community engagement needed to ensure children and families impacted by foster care have the support they need to thrive.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Foster care is complex, and the road is rarely smooth. One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that stability happens quickly once a child enters a safe home. In reality, healing from trauma takes time, consistency, and an incredible amount of patience. Families may look stable from the outside while struggling on the inside.
Another challenge is that the systems serving children are constantly changing and evolving, and are often stretched thin. Invested caseworkers, educators, and service providers are doing extraordinary work, but the practical needs families face can still create barriers.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a little about the work I get to be part of.
As I mentioned, I have the privilege of serving as Director of Development at Tennessee Alliance for Kids. What makes TAK unique is that we support children and families at every point where foster care touches their lives. That includes families at risk of entering care, children at the moment they enter care, foster and kinship families, reunifying families working to rebuild stability, and youth who have aged out of the system.
We do that through three primary programs.
TAK FosterLove provides tangible support like beds, bedding, car seats, rent or utility assistance, and transportation support. Sometimes those needs sound simple, but they can be the difference that allows a family to stabilize, keeps siblings together in the same home, or helps a young person get to work or school.
Our TAK PAK program provides backpacks filled with essential and comfort items for children entering foster care and practical household items for youth transitioning to independence. Many children enter care with very little, and TAK PAKs help restore a sense of dignity and preparedness in a very uncertain moment.
Through TAK Celebrations, we create moments that remind children and families that they are seen and valued. These events include our Very Merry Christmas Parade, a reverse parade where foster families drive through a route and receive gifts from community partners. My favorite TAK Celebrations are the annual Graduation Celebrations, which we host in each of TN’s three grand regions in collaboration with Tennessee’s Bright Futures Program and Youth Villages. At these parties, we honor high school graduates with a special event that recognizes their achievement and encourages them with gifts, speakers, a banquet, and a resource fair. For many of these young people, it is the first time their hard work has been publicly celebrated, and it reminds them that their community sees them, believes in them, and is cheering them on as they step into the future.
In many ways, our role is to make sure the practical barriers are removed so that the incredible organizations across Tennessee that provide therapy, advocacy, and long-term support can do their work more effectively. When basic needs are met, children and families have a much better chance to stabilize and move forward.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I love this question! I am very aware that none of this work happens alone. Personally, I owe so much to my parents, who raised my sisters and me to think critically, to ask questions, and to see the inherent worth in every person. That perspective shaped the way I move through the world.
My husband and each of my children have also been an incredible source of support and perspective. Our family’s journey through foster care and adoption changed the direction of my life. They have walked through the hard and beautiful moments alongside me, and they are the reason I care so deeply about this work.
At Tennessee Alliance for Kids, I have the privilege of working with an extraordinary team of women who show up every day with determination and compassion for children and families impacted by foster care. They work tirelessly to make sure needs are met, families are supported, and young people know they are not alone. It truly is a joy to work alongside them.
And beyond our team, the success of this work belongs to an entire community. Our volunteers, donors, partners, and the many organizations we collaborate with across Tennessee are essential to what we do. Tennessee Alliance for Kids exists because people choose to step forward together to comfort children, empower youth, and offer hope to families. That shared commitment is what makes everything we do possible.
Lately, I’ve also been inspired by the voices of friends who have lived experience in foster care. Listening to their stories and perspectives is a powerful reminder that the people most impacted by these systems often have the deepest insight into what support and stability truly look like. Those voices continue to shape how I think about this work and why it matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tnallianceforkids.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tennesseeallianceforkids/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TNAllianceForKids
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunny-paul-thomas
