Category: News

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!

What a wonderful Summer Children’s Event (one of our favorite things we do!). Children from disadvantaged families were our guests at Nottingham Ballroom for a day of fun and went home with a backpack full of school supplies, sneakers, clothing, pajamas and a blanket to start the school year off right. Each family received a backpack full of hygiene, food kits and other items. We can’t thank everyone enough for volunteering your time and services!

. Kristy and Linda from the Basement Salon gave the children free haircuts and nail art.

. Antonia from K’s Event Decorations & Rentals donated colorful balloon centerpieces that the children just loved!

. Lala and Mimi’s Pajama Party donated a pair of pajamas and Project Linus handmade blankets for each child.

. Academic Advancements Tutoring gave out free books and shared how they are helping break down barriers to education.

. First Presbyterian Church Hamilton Square donated school supplies and then offered their church so we could assemble the backpacks. Not only did they have volunteers help with the backpacks but also manning craft tables at the event!

. Last but never least, Doe’rain Deane Photography who took complementary family portraits (just gorgeous).

All the wonderful smiles – children and volunteers alike!

Getting ready for the Summer Children’s Event by stuffing bags and backpacks with school supplies, shoes, clothing and a child’s “want” present. Our favorite event!

Shine and Inspire recently donated ~$1000 in new backpacks to the TBOE for their school district. Sure to put smiles on the faces of the children!

Celebrating Carol Feldman’s birthday at Lucca Ristorante and Piano Lounge. If purple were a person, that person would be Carol! And true to her generous nature, she made it a Shine and Inspire fundraiser. Look at all this glorious purple – and everyone looked so summer chic. Special thanks to Tony Martin (A.W. Martin Construction) for his generous donation to help make this fundraiser an outstanding success. Helping to raise money for our Summer children’s event in July where we help children from struggling families start the school year right with a backpack, school supplies, shoes and clothing!

Shine and Inspire gave out books and snacks at the Parent Connect Summit at Trenton Central High School on May 13th. Thank you Sheri from Booksmiles.com for the amazing book donation!