Sunbeam

Sunbeam  is a day center for children with disabilities. Stoneworks is working with the Estonian charity Päikesekiir in partnership with the local city government. Click here to download the Sunbeam Brochure. Sunbeam is also on Facebook.

After the city council of Jõhvi, Estonia approved our proposal we received the keys to the building on Feb 1, 2012. We are in the thick of renovations while we hire staff. You can read about the beginnings here.

Let us know if you’d like to help in any way. We need teams to help renovate the building, and we need funds to purchase wheelchairs, standing frames, etc.

Here is a draft design for changes we are making. These include adding ramps to the front and sides of the building, adding two wheelchair accessible bathrooms, altering a hallway location and re-working the entryway and offices.

Andres Toome, the architect, has designed a very nice addition to the front of the building:

Initially, Sunbeam will use the first floor of the north wing (on the right in the plans above) as the day center. Offices will be in the center. A youth center now uses the south wing, and a kindergarten uses the second floor of the north wing. We’ve rented most of the second floor to the Salvation Army. Of course, in the future we hope to expand Sunbeam to include all of the building. We have full rights to (and responsibility for) the entire building and grounds.

The outside of the building looks rough, but it’s actually in pretty good shape. Andres thinks we can get an EU grant to add exterior insulation (which will also improve the looks). EU funding has already paid for a new roof and new windows for the entire building. Much of the electrical wiring is new. It has a full security system with cameras, and much of the interior (maybe 60%) has been renovated to some degree and is usable without any major repair. Much of it needs a fresh coat of paint and a good scrubbing.

It has a kitchen (which needs renovation), an assembly hall (that’s in good shape) with room for maybe 100 people, and several large rooms and bathrooms for Sunbeam, two conference rooms and several offices. It sits on a big lot in the city center, bordering on a new church building and a new office building.

We have received some funding and grants to completely renovate the area for Sunbeam: renovate two large rooms and a hallway, widen several doors, install two new bathrooms, replace the wiring, and re-do the entrance. The heating system has been completely updated as has much of the electrical and plumbing. Alas, the stairwells are still ‘soviet’ and need help.

Here is a walk around the building, in two parts (if you have trouble viewing them on this page, you can double click to view on YouTube)

Part One: (this is an updated video of the front and east side of the building):

Part Two:

Here’s a walk in the rooms where we’ll have the center for disabled children. These are ‘Before’ videos, taken before we started renovation, the place looks much better now.

And here’s a walk through first floor corridor/office area:

And here is a walk through the west wing, where the youth center currently meets.

Here is a walk through the upstairs center section: