The Commonwealth of Kentucky had existed only 77 years when Sunrise Childrenâs Services was organized. A group of ladies at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville recognized a need to care for orphaned children living on the streets. Their focus was on providing care for children in crisis and Sunrise Childrenâs Services was born. Since 1869, Sunriseâs mission has remained the same. For more than 150 years, this agency of the Kentucky Baptist Convention has cared for Kentuckyâs children and families through foster care, orphan care, and residential and therapeutic services. In the late 1970s, Sunrise was approached by the state of Kentucky and asked to help with the increasing number of children in the stateâs custody. The request aligned with Sunriseâs mission and they were eager to help. Since then, the number of children in the stateâs custody has steadily risen and Sunrise has been a steady partner. According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, there were 9,278 children in state care at the end of 2020. Dale Suttles, president of Sunrise Childrenâs Services, says there are nearly 1,000 children receiving care and services from Sunrise. While not all of them are under the stateâs custody, many of them are. Sunrise has remained a faithful partner to CHFS.