At 2nd annual Night to Shine volunteers make a difference
Carrie Carpenter of Dennison walks the red carpet with her buddy, Melanie Yoder of the Sugarcreek area.
“I feel so good I can’t stand it. And they had great food,” guest Ginger Stalcup of New Philadelphia said of the wonderful time she had at the second annual Night to Shine prom event for people with developmental disabilities, which was held on Feb. 9 at NewPointe Community Church in Dover.
The event was pure fun from start to finish. The joy of the event was on the faces of guests and volunteers alike.
“This is wonderful — wonderful — for these kids,” one parent said as he watched his daughter walk the red carpet.
The local event was one of more than 540 held around the United States and in 16 countries to host Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.
Attendance was up from 200 registered guests last year to 300 for the 2018 event, according to Heather Foster, campus coordinator at NewPointe. Foster estimated a total of approximately 1,200 people on site for Night to Shine including guests, volunteers, parents and care providers.
The event was open to anyone. Participants did not have to be a resident of Tuscarawas County to be a guest or volunteer. The church even provided a lounge with refreshments for parents and others who were providing transportation to the event.
Volunteers ranged from parking lot attendants to paparazzi and buddies for the guests. The Tim Tebow Foundation requires each guest be assigned a volunteer buddy to assure their safety and assist them throughout the evening with the activities, which included karaoke, limousine rides, event photos and dancing.
No matter their job, each volunteer was amazing. Volunteer Donald Jensen of Canton hosted the karaoke. The self-described “bubbly” Jensen ensured each guest had a great experience. He even jumped in as needed to help with the lyrics.
NewPointe member Hester Colwell, owner of Colwell’s Flower Shop, made 160 each of corsages and boutonnieres for the event with help from Judy Demuth.
“I’ve been working on these since October,” Colwell said. “It was worth it. They are so grateful, and they are loving it. You can’t help but smile at them.”
Another volunteer, Christy Mulheman of New Philadelphia, who works as a stylist at the Head Shop in Dover, used her talents to turn some ordinary hair styles into something special for the event. Other volunteers were stationed at the red carpet, where they cheered and applauded as each guest and their buddy were introduced.
Volunteer Bob Hickman of Mobile Jams Entertainment said he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Hickman’s choice of upbeat current and former musical hits kept the party hopping from start to finish. The company even provided additional lighting for the event and arrived on site at 1 p.m. to make sure everything looked perfect. A video of the event is posted online at www.mobilejams.net.
“You are all kings and queens in God’s eyes, and we want to celebrate that,” Scott Compton of Sugarcreek and a staff member at NewPointe told the crowd shortly before a message from Tebow was shown on two large screens in the dance area.
Tebow announced that each guest was now named the king or queen of the prom as volunteers distributed crowns.
“I think it’s a blast,” guest Larry Schweitzer of New Philadelphia said. “I haven’t danced this much in a long time.”