Welcome to Shine Fresno
Helping Young Central Valley Mothers & Their Families Shine Bright
On May 31, 2023, Shine Together’s Fresno regional office formally celebrated its expansion into a dedicated space with an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark this achievement.
Shine Together (formerly known as Teen Success) has had a strong presence supporting and empowering young mothers in the Fresno region since 2020, working to break the cycle of poverty there while helping show their strong and determined participants how they can build a better life for themselves and their families.
Fresno is one of four high poverty communities in the greater Bay Area and Central Valley served by Shine Together, which also has a presence in San Jose, Sacramento, and Monterey County.
The city’s teen birth rate of 19.4 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19 is disproportionately high compared to the state of California (11.4 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19), even as overall teen birth rates have significantly declined in recent years.
As of 2024, Shine Together’s Fresno organization supports 65 young mothers with their education pursuits while helping them develop their parenting skills, enhance their financial literacy, and improve the health and wellness of their families.
Teen mothers are at high risk for not finishing high school or pursuing post-secondary education, and they are more likely to live in poverty. Since its founding in 2011, Shine Together has worked toward breaking this cycle of poverty by supporting young moms. Shine’s rebranding in 2022 clarified that its mission includes moms in their early twenties.
“Coming into this program, I learned a lot about being more mindful of taking judgment. We talked about this in the group and said: let’s not reciprocate what people are giving to you.”
Vanessa Padilla, a teen parent and Shine Together Fresno Advocate about being a part of the Shine program and the positive impact it’s had on her.
Events
- Valentine’s Day
- Dr Seuss Early Literacy Reading Day
- Mother’s Day
- Spring Event
- Paint and Plant
- Back to School School supplies Backpack giveaway
- Spooky Oogie Bash
- End of Year celebration
- Graduation Dinner
- Winter Wonderland/ Toys for Tots
- California Young Parents Day
- Very Hungry Caterpillar Reading Fun Day
- Summer Fun Days
- Zoo Days
Special Programs
- Events and support for Alumni moms
- Food Distribution
Our Team
Meet the Fresno Shine Team
Each and every member of the Shine team is dedicated to empowering young mothers and impacting multiple generations. Together, we bring decades of experience in youth and community services, social justice, and research and evaluation.
Sarah Villa
Central Valley Regional Director
Sarah is a Disney fanatic and a SF Giants/49er fan.
Sarah Villa joined the Teen Success, Inc team in June of 2016 as the Program and Partnership Manager serving the Central Valley and Monterey County. Today, she is the Central Valley Regional Director. She is responsible for growing and supporting Shine Together in Fresno. Sarah was born and raised in Salinas, CA and moved to the Central Valley in 2004.
Sarah’s passion to serve young parents came from first-hand experience. She raised two children as a young mother and knows the importance of support, mentoring and education. Her experience allows her to tell a personal story of the journey of raising children and being a positive role model to her family.
Sarah has more than 25 years of direct, hands-on experience in providing education, support, and mentoring to young parents regarding family health, parenting, reproductive health, and the importance of continuing education.
Prior to coming to Shine Together, Sarah worked with Fresno Barrios Unidos for 11 years working directly with young parents, creating healing spaces for women and girls and leadership development.
Sarah also worked for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte as a Health Educator, implementing medically accurate comprehensive sex education in schools and teaching parents how to talk to their children about puberty and tough subjects.
(559) 410-7022
svilla@shinetogether.org
Vanessa Padilla
Advocate, Fresno
Hello my name is Vanessa Padilla but you can call me Ness/Nessa for short. I am 26 and was born and raised in Fresno, Ca. I have a Bachelors in Criminology-Corrections from Fresno State University. I myself was a apart of Teen Success back in 2012 when I was once a Teen Mom. I have an 11 year old son that means the entire world to me. My passion in life is just to simply help people in any way possible. Being able to be someone’s advocate and provide resources to those in need really drives me to be more involved and fully dedicated to my community. Having the opportunity to make a full circle in life by now being apart of this organization as an Advocate really means so much to me. Teen Success was a huge part of my life not only in helping me become the best mother I could possibly be but also shaping me into the person I am today. As much as I’m excited to be apart of this team and show what I have to offer I’m most excited to learn from the mothers I get to work with.
3 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:
- DIE HARD 49ER FAN
- TRAIN IN JIU JITSU & MUAY THAI
- VERY FAMILY ORIENTED
Sonia Herrera
Advocate, Fresno County
Rosita Figueroa
Advocate, Fresno County
Rosita was born and raised in Fresno California. She earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno in 2017. Rosita has over 6 years working with youth. She is passionate about creating change because of the lived experiences she has faced.
During her free time, you can find Rosita having fun with her niece and listening to true crime podcast.
(408) 685-7581
rosita@shinetogether.org
Our Partners
- Fresno County Department of Social Services (Babies First, Nurse Family Partnership, CaLearn)
- The Children’s Movement
- Fresno Unified School District
- Planned Parenthood (sponsorship, condoms and educational information)
- Reading and Beyond (support for young fathers, Joven Noble and post-secondary support for moms)
Our Sponsors
- First 5 Fresno
- Planting Prosperity
- Westley Foundation
- Central California Food Bank (meal boxes and diapers)
- Baby 2 Baby (essential supplies, car seats, strollers, bassinets, playpens, clothes, etc)
- Project Glimmer (make up, lotions, self-care items)
- Cakes for Kids
- Council Member Miguel Arias (zoo tickets, $250 holiday wish list, certificates for graduates and $300 backpacks)
- Councilmember Nelson Esparza (feminine hygiene products)
- Senator Laphonza Butler (certificates for graduates)
- Embarc ($10,000 towards our office wishlist, sofas, fridge, blinds, rugs, etc)
Our Donors
- Costco
- Dutch Bros
- Olive Garden
- Whole Foods
- Trader Joe’s
- Crumble Cookies
Regional Boundaries
How to find us
Donate Now
Help A Young Mom Shine Bright
We need your help to empower young moms and their children. Together, we can create economic advancement for families and communities, two generations at a time.