RENEW Collaborative

02/26/2026

"You do not need to stand in the shadows, willing others into them too. We are not here to share darkness. We are here to spread light.
So go ahead. Shine." - Becky Helmsley

There will be times in your life when your light is too bright for others. And there will be times when their light is too bright for you.
And let me be honest about something… It is never the light’s fault.

We always want it to be. We want to blame them for burning so brightly and leaving us in the shadows. We’ll want to extinguish their flame so that ours can grow.

But all that will mean is that there is less light in the world.

And this world needs as much light as it can get. It needs the lightbulb moments and
the flames of passion and the sparks of hope.

You do not need to stand in the shadows, willing others into them too. We are not here to share darkness. We are here to spread light.
So go ahead.

Shine.

✨✨✨

Becky Hemsley 2023
Stunning artwork by Jeanne Marais

This poem is from Letters from Life: https://amzn.to/4aGCVvA
(affiliate link)

02/26/2026

"Students are walking into classrooms overwhelmed, exhausted, and dysregulated. Teachers are being asked to manage needs far beyond their capacity. But inside the schools where care is happening, we're seeing a very different story..." - Andrea M. Polnaszek
Learn more here: https://andreapolnaszek.com/campaigns/view-campaign/1Y-fEBbJAZa7h2MWjQak_Tfgd_tQlPREuQajPHlzYXKm-hkwz77vCmdcpPip63XgYYPMhD0j4b5IsjYos-5asXdq9IpsXOUI

01/07/2026

Great Book! New release on Amazon! From authors Andrea M. Polnaszek and Alexandra Boylan. "Sixteen-year-old Nelly is glued to her phone, using endless scrolls to dull the pain her mother left behind. Her grandmother Lucy knows that particular ache better than anyone. Determined not to watch another generation disappear into silence and avoidance, she confiscates the phone, bundles Nelly into her old RV, and heads for the open road: no screens, no distractions, no hiding."

11/22/2025

10/29/2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Citing a chronic shortage of financial backing for independent publishers and nonprofits dedicated to writing and reading, a coalition of seven charitable foundations has established a Literary Arts Fund that will distribute a minimum of $50 million over the next five years.

09/05/2025

New! Bring a timeless children's book to life! from Andrea M. Polnaszek
https://andreapolnaszek.com/campaigns/view-campaign/Lbc0UUH3XAJ-vyo54w9Yfery-5br52IVWiiKgMroRuXYcc8iqU8A0Alg1DDE41Fb4ULuRy5POrnEK4m59lDFs77NEMcQ96q2

08/27/2025

The Driven Lost Child: I Did It My Way, by Kevin Lon Hood, explores the highs and lows of working with vulnerable kids and adults, and how his getting into and out of trouble as a youngster helped him find creative ways to navigate the wide range of situations encountered during his 20-year career in human service.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/KEVIN-LON-HOOD/author/B0CZBDW68F

06/19/2025

from Becky Hemsley Poetry