From passion project to nonprofit, Shine Teens makes exciting updates

When Samaritan Ministries member Jules Bosi became director of Shine Teens at the start of 2024, she told Samaritan Ministries she had a goal of making the organization a nonprofit. As of fall 2024, her goal had been accomplished.

The organization started as a passion project for its founder, Jenny Stoner. Shine Teens equips and empowers girls in sixth through12th grades in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area to “shine bright and spread light”—shining bright through personal development programs and spreading light through kindness and service.

“Really it’s a nonprofit to serve these girls with developing how to manage their emotions and how to manage all the different aspects of navigating the teenage years with confidence and resilience and purpose,” Jules said.

Achieving nonprofit status broadens the organization’s reach and expands its possibilities.

“Now that we are a nonprofit, we're going to be able to do different collaborations within the community, different service projects , and different methods of volunteering,” Jules said. “I feel like because we're organized as a nonprofit organization, we're able to do that in a way that we probably wouldn't have been able to do before. It's also given us the ability to get insurance, and we can raise funds for local organizations.”

It’s easy for teen girls to be wrapped up in what their friends are doing, what they’ve been included or excluded in, what material items they do or don’t have, and so much more. Jules hopes Shine Teens will help them better handle that as they become more involved in their community.

“I think that getting them out in the community and helping them serve will help them also have a greater appreciation for all that they've been given and just feel more connected to where God's placed them,” she said.

The organization launched a new website on March 14. The colorful platform has a user-friendly experience that offers a more convenient way to view upcoming events through its calendar feature. The website also allows online tax-deductible donations.

“We wanted it to be something that would be simple for the user to navigate and to feel playful for the girls, so it was age-appropriate but also polished and clean in terms of the formatting and everything,” Jules said.

Jules hopes to add a video to the website that explains Shine Teens and add blog posts in the future.