Instead of riding a bus for multiple hours a day to and from Green Bay for alternative placement programming, students in Door County are staying closer to home thanks to a partnership with Sunshine Resources. The Sturgeon Bay organization is piloting its Sunshine Bridges program for the 2026-27 school year to provide programming at the PATH building for students with extraordinary social and behavioral needs from area school districts.

Sunshine Resources CEO Barry Metzentine says some school districts do not have the resources or staffing to give those students the tools and help they need to succeed in the classroom. Sevastopol was the first to partner with Sunshine Resources, with Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door following suit. Together, the districts have seven students involved in the Sunshine Bridges program.

With discussions also underway with Gibraltar and Washington Island, and potentially soon with Algoma and Kewaunee, Metzentine says the program is a great way to keep more students local instead of sending them back and forth to Green Bay.

As the program grows, Sunshine Resources is looking for additional student aides to help meet future demand.