Giving Back Podcast

Rene Martinez and Michelle Hall are the co-founders of Miss Shining Star. Rene’s daughter, Sofia, has special needs and she was having trouble attending pageants that could cater to her. Thus, Miss Shining Star and a community of loving parents and individuals was born. Miss Shining Star is the only pageant in Washington state to celebrate young girls and teens with special needs. On the show, Rene and Michelle share their story of how they got started, their fears of it being a very negative ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ event, and so much more.    Key Takeaways: [5:30] Rene and Michelle share how many volunteers their pageant has. [10:00] Miss Shining Star is the first pageant of its kind to start in Washington state. Rene and Michelle would take Sofia to Oregon and California to participate in a pageant for special needs children.  [10:40] The great thing about Miss Shining Star is that parents don’t have to commit to just a day. They can be as involved as they want to be.  [14:15] Both Rene and Michelle were af