Our thanks to Andrea Stock and the Central/South Jersey affiliate of “I Support The Girls” for their generous donation of hygiene products and undergarments for our Shine closets.
Check them out at https://isupportthegirls.org/
Another successful fundraiser this time at Louie’s by Chef Jason (and celebrating Valentine’s day as people wore pink, red and of course, purple)! Everyone enjoyed an afternoon of Conversation, Connection and Cuisine while raising money to support our cause. If you haven’t tried Louie’s yet this is a must stop – the food was delicious and we appreciated them decorating the restaurant early for Valentine’s Day with flowers and balloons to make the event more festive.
Shine and Inspire was honored to tell our story at the Women’s Empowerment Fair hosted by the Rotary Club at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness center on January 20th! Carol Feldman, Carole Bursac and June Mahon at the Shine and Inspire booth.
In early December, Shine and Inspire held its Children’s Winter Wonderland Event for disadvantaged children and their families in Mercer County – over 100 children across 42 families! Children from various agencies were invited, along with their parents/guardians, to enjoy an afternoon of pure fun and creative activities along with musical entertainment and a delicious lunch. There were crafts galore including making slime, decorating cookies, and making holiday ornaments, door hangars and cards. There was also amazing temporary tattoos and face painting!
Each child went home with a winter jacket, hat, gloves, scarf, boots and clothing, plus a holiday present from their wish list. Each children’s bag also included donations from other non-profits and organizations. It was an amazing day with smiles abound from the families and the volunteers – truly the favorite thing that we do!
There are so many people to thank for this incredible event:
We always say that it takes a village to raise a child, and our community was so generous in making a difference for these children and their families. We are so humbled and grateful.
Make a difference in someone’s life, and it will make a difference in yours …
We are so grateful to have been one of the charities chosen for Brother’s 33 50th anniversary! Their goal was to donate $50,000 to charity by the end of the year, and as their nonprofit for the month of November, raised $4,337 for Shine and Inspire! This is an amazing family who is so community minded, and so supportive of us for many years. Our humblest thanks to the Carannante family and Brother’s 33!
Shine and Inspire partnered with Amerigroup to provide a washer/dryer and refrigerator for the Gregory School in Trenton. So many don’t have access to washer/dryers so this gift will allow the school to make sure the children have clean clothes! The refrigerator will let them keep water and snacks and food for the children who are suffering from food insecurity. Everything affects a child’s self-esteem – not having proper access to hygiene items or food, and not having clean clothes (or not more than a few outfits to choose from). It’s hard to concentrate when you’re hungry…
Our fundraiser at Lucca’s Ristorante was such as success we’ve decided to launch a culinary experiences series with our second luncheon at Daphne’s Dining & Catering. Everyone enjoyed an afternoon of Conversation, Connection and Cuisine while raising money to support our cause!
Brother’s 33 is celebrating their 50th year in business. Since January of this year they have honored one nonprofit a month with a tremendous gift — 50% of sales on a specific date! Shine and Inspire has been selected for the month of November, on Sunday the 12th! This is incredibly generous, and we are so blessed (we have Shine closets in our schools to fill and shopping for our Children’s Winter Wonderland Event in December).
Come for lunch! Come for dinner! Order a pizza! Order online! They have incredibly delicious food. Hope to see you there (Carol will be there at 4 so stop by and say hello)! Please note that The Blend right next door is collecting hygiene items and non-perishable food for our Shine Closets for kids in need all over Mercer County.
Shine and Inspire is hosting a Winter Wonderland for disadvantaged children in Mercer County. Children who truly need our support!
Children from various agencies are invited, along with their parents/guardians to enjoy an afternoon of pure fun and creative activities along with musical entertainment and kid-friendly food and refreshments. They will be making slime, having faces and nails painted decorating cookies, and creating crafts.
You can make the Winter Wonderland extra special by sponsoring one or more children (at $200 per child), so they can simply be a kid, enjoy the festivities, and go home with a new winter coat, hat, glove and boots, along with a gift from their very own wish list! The more sponsors we get the more children we can include — at our Summer Children’s Event we helped 80 children! We’ll be honoring all of our sponsors on our website and facebook page.
Please make your donation by November 15 (donate at this link, and in the memo section note “Winter Wonderland” and the name of you or your company for our sponsor honoree pages, or opt out if you prefer). https://donate.chip-in.us/?nonprofitId=106722
Thank you for making a difference in a child’s life!
Many thanks to Joe Rego for this fantastic donation to Shine and Inspire. Check out throglo.com to see this fantastic game that Joe and his wife created. Sure to put a smile on the children’s faces! Thank you to Matt and Cody of Buxton’s Boxes for all your help today!
