Eveline Rivers-McCoy was born in Little Rock Arkansas and raised in Kentucky. She attended the University of Arkansas where she met her basketball playing husband Wayne. She has lived in Amarillo, Texas for over 50 years and this is where she raised their three children.
In 1979 Eveline founded the Eveline Rivers Christmas Project, helping 43 children have the joy of Christmas. Shortly after, in January 1980 Eveline received a phone call from school principal Betty Solis that 8 children could not come to school that week due to the extremely cold temperatures. If they chose to walk to school they would literally freeze to death. The primary mission of these projects were to improve educational outcomes and supply basic childhood needs
From these projects, Eveline created a 3rd non profit organization, Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage. The idea was to provide a safe stable place for homeless or extremely low income single parent families to obtain a college education, become stable and get off the government system. There are currently ten homes.
Through volunteerism many honors have been bestowed on Eveline Rivers-McCoy, she was named “Woman of the Year”, by the Amarillo Globe News, she received a “7 Who Care Award from the Volunteer Action Center of United Way, was the National Association of Social Workers, “Public Citizen of the Year” for the whole state of Texas, received the Governor “Volunteer Award” from George Bush for the state of Texas, and many more.
Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage was selected by the Aspen Institute, in Washington DC, to represent the state of Texas, as an example of their philosophy of raising people out of poverty through education two generations at a time. Her most cherished honor was being selected to help carry the Olympic Torch as it progressed across the United States on its way to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
4th Week Pantry
We currently have ten fully furnished properties all in the same block of the beautiful, historic, Amarillo College area.
The Moms
Our Moms are working towards degrees in many fields, including: education, nursing, criminal justice, psychology, and counseling.
The Children
Our children are active in sports, cheerleading, academics, scouts, church, and a host of other activities.
Our Mission
Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage provides housing, love, and encouragement to homeless and low-income single-parent families; inspiring them to seek a college education, two generations at a time, thus moving the whole family off the government system.
The Eveline Blanket
The Eveline Blanket is a fabulous ways and means project for Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage. Created in 2014, these blankets are hand made at Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage workplace, and the monies raised are used directly to benefit the single Moms and their children who live in Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage.
Proceeds from these beautiful and luxurious throws help our moms pay for their college education.
