Jun
9
7:30 AM07:30

NJ Sharing Network Walk and 5K Race - NJ

We are excited to be participating once again in the NJ Sharing Network Donate Life 5K in New Providence this year. We hope you can join us for the fun! Please use this link to register as a Shine Brighter Foundation team member.

Courtney’s dedication to organ donation was truly remarkable. From a young age, she passionately spoke with others about its importance while remaining respectful of their views. As soon as she turned 18, she made sure to update her driver’s license to reflect her decision. Following Courtney’s tragic passing, our family found solace in the fact that she was able to help 133 individuals through donation. Her memory lives on in the hearts of many and in the lives of those 133 people she selflessly helped. Please consider joining our team to honor Courtney, other donor and recipient families.

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Jun
11
to Sep 4

5K -NJ Sharing Network Walk & USATF Certified Race - New Providence, NJ

  • Shine Brighter Foundation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

What an amazing day celebrating Courtney at the New Providence 5K - A Celebration of Life. Courtney’s final gift of donation helped 133 people. It helps our family knowing Courtney lives on in others. Thank you to everyone that participated and those that couldn’t, we appreciate the love and support from afar. Hope to see you all next year.

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May
16
10:00 AM10:00

Spread Love Volunteer Day

Unfortunately due to the current health care crisis we will not be able to get together for this years celebration.. While we are very sad we won’t get to be with you all we would rather everyone be healthy! We will be reaching out come May with some ideas of how we can continue to spread love in honor of Courtney.

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Dec
17
to Dec 18

Heart Pin Making and Kindness is...event at Stewart Avenue School

  • Google Calendar ICS

The Shine Brighter Foundation spent a couple of days at Stewart School working with 5th and 2nd Graders. Mrs. Vincent, Stewart’s social worker, conducted a mini-lesson on the importance of kindness and being “unstoppable”. Each child was taught how to make clay hearts and encouraged to share it with a person who needed to feel good about themselves. To end the special day, each child shared on a canvas what kindness meant to them.

Thank you to Miss Norton, Mrs. Vincent and all the teachers and people who helped us share our mission of inspiring kindness.

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Oct
20
8:00 PM20:00

Glastonbury Apple and Harvest Fest

What a beautiful weekend spent in Glastonbury seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Thank you to those of you that spread love and kindness to us and others after you learned about the Shine Brighter Foundation. We couldn’t have done it without the help of Brandon, Nicki and Angelina. Their willingness to spread love, promote the mission of our foundation and help us keep Courtney’s name alive is something we will appreciate forever.

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Aug
18
11:00 AM11:00

Summit Street Fair

We will be participating in the Summit Street fair on August 18th. Come help us Inspire Kindness as we engage with the community and spread some love. We will have pins, hats, stickers and more. Come say hi! We look forward to sharing our mission with you soon!

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Jun
2
7:30 AM07:30

Donate Life 5k Walk & Certified Race

Donate Life 5k Walk & USATF Certified Race

The Shine Brighter Foundation Team joined the NJ Sharing Network and spent the morning for a 5k Certified Race and Walk. Words can’t describe the energy and amazing event the Sharing Network, from New Providence, New Jersey hosts each year. More than 10,000 participants gather to honor those who gave, pay tribute to those who received, offer hope to those who continue to wait and remember the lives lost while waiting for the Gift of Life.

Hope you can join us at the New Providence 5k in 2020 and help us save more lives!

To Honor. To Remember. To Give Hope.

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Spread Love Volunteer Day 2019
May
18
10:00 AM10:00

Spread Love Volunteer Day 2019

What a beautiful day filled with so much love and sunshine! Our group of 60+ people joined together for a day of planting, weeding, mulching and beautifying the 911 memorial and surrounding areas in New Providence, New Jersey. After the beautification project was finished, the Shine Brighter Team along with friends, family and volunteers, handed out 100 bouquets of flowers as a random act of kindness and asked that the recipients pay it forward in some way. The smiles and surprised reactions were priceless.

Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers, we truly appreciate each and every one of you.

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Apr
7
11:00 AM11:00

Red Bank Street Fair

We had an incredible day spreading love at our first Red Bank Street Fair. A huge thank you to our new and old friends who stopped by to say hello and support. We handed out 50 bouquets of flowers and saw people holding them all around downtown Red Bank for the rest of the day. We can’t wait to return!

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Holiday Crafters and Vendor Fair
Dec
1
9:30 AM09:30

Holiday Crafters and Vendor Fair

Thank you to our special friends and volunteers that worked at the Buttonball Vendor Fair this year. We are so appreciative for your hard work and enthusiasm while spreading love on behalf of the Shine Brighter Foundation. The children and adults did a super job writing what they believe Kindness is….

Thanks again and we look forward to being back in Connecticut next year for an event.

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Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival
Oct
12
to Oct 14

Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival

The CT Shine Brighter team had a great weekend spreading our message of kindness at Glastonbury’s Apple Harvest Festival. The rain and cold on Saturday didn’t dampen the team’s spirits as they spread love to the many that braved the rain. Sunday brought better weather and hundreds of people stopping by learning about our foundation and signing our “Kindness Is” canvas.

 

A young woman bought a WearOne/ShareOne pin and asked to pay it forward to the next person that wanted one. This beautiful gesture was continued by 26 people and brought unexpected smiles to the recipients.  Another vendor brought a gift of roses to our booth. Victoria split them up and gave to a woman that said she never gets flowers, that woman felt special and shared a gift back. Most important was being able to share our foundation’s mission of inspiring and empowering people to spread love through random acts of kindness. Children and adults listened and learned that random acts of kindness don’t have to cost anything.

 

Thanks again to Brandon, Victoria, Steve, Nicki, Angelina and Monica!

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5K Run/Walk for the New Jersey Sharing Network
Jun
3
9:00 AM09:00

5K Run/Walk for the New Jersey Sharing Network

Team Shine Brighter had 51 participants this year running or walking the New Jersey Sharing Network 5K in New Providence, New Jersey. Courtney would have been so proud of all her family and friends. Some were running a 5K for the first time! Next year we hope to have an even bigger team honoring and celebrating all the donors and recipients. 

Thanks to those of you who came to join our extended family as we honored Courtney!

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Spread Love Volunteer Day 2018
Jun
2
9:00 AM09:00

Spread Love Volunteer Day 2018

What a beautiful and busy day cleaning up Oakwood Park in New Providence, New Jersey. A group of 76 volunteers weeded, mulched, planted and laid bricks to beautify the park for the towns residents and visiting teams.  After hours of working we split up into over 10 groups and surprised random people with a 100 bouquets of flowers. The surprise and smiles on the faces of the recipients was priceless! 

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May
20
9:00 AM09:00

News: Tap Into New Providence - Spread Love 2017

NEWS ARTICLE

By MARIANNE IVERS

April 28, 2017 at 2:49 PM

 

Courtney's family members and friends at last year's gathering.   Credits: Courtesy of Jeanne Lawton

 

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – A borough resident is spearheading a community Day of Service in memory of her niece Courtney Wilczewski, who died tragically at the age of 22. The event is scheduled for May 13 and it is organized by Jeanne Lawton, Courtney ‘s maternal aunt.

Courtney passed away from injuries sustained in an auto accident in Connecticut two years ago on May 26, 2015. She was a graduate of Providence College and planned a career in the medical field. According to Lawton she was a generous person who worked with special needs children. One time when still at college Courtney went to the local grocery store and found the cashier in a bad mood. In order to brighten the cashier’s bad day Courtney brought her a bouquet of flowers. This event depicts the essence of Courtney’s being – a person with a big heart always willing to help others.

This act of kindness sparked her large extended family and friends to create a Facebook page “Spread Love and Honor for Court” as well as to give back to people and the community. The group organized its first community service event in Garden City, Long Island last year.

This year the group of approximately 50 family members and friends will come to New Providence to clean-up and “beautify” the downtown area. The group will also hold a bingo match for senior citizens at the DeCorso Community Center from 10:30-12:30. All seniors are welcome, Lawton said. There will be prizes as well. At noon the group will begin their downtown clean-up work. The team will be wearing matching shirts. While the family and friends are still recovering from their tremendous loss, the event helps them to heal and keep Courtney’s memory alive.

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