When a Story Comes Full Circle: From a 1990s News Report to Lumina Nights

As human beings, we make sense of the world and connect with each other through stories. That’s why my favorite part of my job is working with our Storytellers Bureau to create the impact videos for Lumina Nights. Statistics help us understand the scale of a problem, sure, but stories help us understand the people behind those numbers. They remind us that we are talking about real lives, real families, and real resilience.

This year, one of those stories came full circle in a way I never could have planned.

Jeanette Trompeter, one of our Lumina Nights 2026 STAR dancers, spent years as a KSBY reporter covering the Central Coast. In the 1990s, she produced a series on domestic violence, a topic that carried deep shame and fear at a time when very few survivors spoke publicly about their experiences.

One of the stories Jeanette covered was about Dolores Winje, a San Luis Obispo woman who survived being shot by her husband and later became an advocate against domestic violence. Dolores has since passed away, but her daughter, Tanya Winje, continues to speak out about the violence their family endured and the importance of prevention.

Tanya, now a local associate therapist, is the voice of one of our Lumina Nights impact videos, sharing her story and speaking about why prevention matters. Violence does not happen in isolation, she tells us. It affects families, children, and entire communities. Breaking those cycles takes awareness, education, and a commitment from all of us. Yes, even you. 

When we mentioned to Jeanette that we were featuring Tanya in a video, without knowing anything about their connection, Jeanette told us that she had covered Tanya’s mother’s story and thought she might still have the original news footage on an old VHS tape. A content creator’s dream! Our video production company, Room for Cream Films, and I began scrambling to find a way to digitize it in case it was found. Then, incredibly, Jeanette discovered that she actually had a digital version. She generously shared the footage so it could be included in Tanya’s video.

Think about that for a moment. Decades ago, Jeanette told Dolores’s story as a reporter trying to bring attention to domestic violence in our community. Today, she and Tanya are connected again through Lumina Alliance, helping tell that story to a new generation and reminding us why this work matters.

These connections are why storytelling is so powerful. They help our community see that the people we are talking about are not numbers. They are mothers, daughters, neighbors, coworkers, and friends. And if you think you don’t know anyone who is affected by sexual assault or domestic violence, you do, you just don’t know it yet.

Dolores and Tanya Winje

The need for this work is real. Today, nearly 45% of women in the United States experience sexual violence in their lifetime. In San Luis Obispo County alone, that translates to an estimated 63,000 women.

That is why prevention education is so critical. It is how we break cycles of violence before they begin.

At Lumina Nights, Tanya will help share that message with our community. Jeanette will be on stage as a STAR dancer raising funds for therapy services for survivors. Decades after their paths first crossed through tragedy, they are now working together to create change here in our county.

Moments like this remind me why storytelling matters. When we share stories, we build understanding, empathy, and momentum for the work ahead.

And sometimes, if we are lucky, the stories come full circle.

See you at Lumina Nights!

April
Communications Director