‘Night to Shine’ special night for those with special needs
Night to Shine, an evening created by the Tim Tebow Foundation to present a prom-like atmosphere for those with special needs, took place Friday, Feb. 7 at Grace Church in Wooster. The event drew a mammoth crowd, despite nearly being canceled due to inclement weather.
For Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner turned professional baseball player, his passion for creating Night to Shine was born out of faith, hope and love, three traits he believed could change the world of individuals living with special needs.
Thus the Tim Tebow Foundation Night to Shine was born six years ago.
Night to Shine, which this year took place Feb. 7 in places all over the world, found its way to Grace Church in Wooster this year, as it has the past several years.
Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom evening experience for people with special needs age 14 and older who may have never gotten the chance to experience what it is like to get all dressed up and spend an evening dancing and enjoying everything that comes with a prom event.
Tebow’s faith has helped him connect with 721 churches around the world that hosted the event this year, where more than 115,000 special-needs guests and 215,000 volunteers helped to create a night to remember.
The event was sponsored by and took place at Grace Church in Wooster, in partnership with Sycamore Community Church.
The evening is one that goes on the calendar of families with a special-needs member pretty much as soon as the current event ends. Such is Night to Shine’s power to create a glorious party atmosphere and a wonderful place for those in attendance to bond and cut loose.
According to Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Marianne Mader, they took 40 guests up via a bus ride, which on the way up was filled with plenty of raw energy as the guests waited for their big evening.
“There was so much electricity in the air on the bus ride up,” Mader said. “All of the individuals and their buddies were talking and having a great time. Some of the members who haven’t attended this before were kind of nervous because they didn’t know what to expect, but the ones who have gone before kept telling them it was going to be awesome and they didn’t need to worry about anything.”
The bus ride home was quite a bit more subdued but for good reason.
“Everyone was spent,” Mader said. “People were just worn out from all of the activities and the fun they had throughout the night. A lot of people just fell asleep on the ride home.”
In between bus rides, the evening was packed full of plenty of things to do and fun activities. The dance is always a highlight, and the floor was filled to capacity with people dancing and having a blast. Guests also could have their caricature drawn, enjoy the limo party bus, sing karaoke, take a snapshot in the photo booth or enjoy the game room.
It all added up to one active night, and the guests definitely did shine as they all got a chance to walk the red carpet, where they and their buddies were introduced and the spotlight was all on them. Then to have Tebow crown them royalty was the climax.
Mader said the nice part about this event is there is no judging, no sideways glances. Everyone was just relaxed and having a good time.
“Everyone there is so warm and welcoming,” Mader said. “Many of the buddies are siblings who oftentimes serve as kind of protectors. But on this night, nobody is looking at anyone differently, and that is amazing. It creates such a warm, relaxing atmosphere where everyone can just let loose and enjoy the night.”
Brian and Brenda Miller’s daughter Brittany has enjoyed this event for several years as a guest. Brenda Miller said her daughter can’t wait for this event to come around each year, and the wait is well worth it.
“She loves it, and she is already looking forward to next year’s Night to Shine,” Miller said. “Tim Tebow’s vision in creating this is amazing. He has such a heart for those with special needs, and the excitement at the event is incredible. His love for people is incredible, and he actually comes on screen and crowns them all queens and kings.”
Tebow makes sure every person in attendance understands how valued and loved they are and that they can make an impact in the world around them.
From a parental perspective, this prom setting is one that many of those attending never got to attend in school. They get to dress up, are ushered in like royalty and get to take a buddy along to escort them and spend time with them throughout the evening.
For Brittany that was her younger sister Brooke. The two had a blast, just one more benefit for parents to enjoy thanks to Night to Shine.
“This is Brooke’s second year of being a buddy to Brittany, and she absolutely loves it,” Miller said.
Another unique aspect of this event was that the churches sponsoring it provide respite care for the parents and caretakers. They were ushered into a large room at Grace Church, where they were invited to eat a catered meal, play bingo with some free gifts, enjoy a massage and music, and basically enjoy a relaxing and comfortable evening of their own.
“These care providers are the real heroes, and it was great that we could provide them with an evening that they could focus on themselves for a while,” said Nate Scott, pastor at Sycamore Community Church.
While all of that was going on, Grace Church made it possible for the care providers to witness everything that was going on at Night to Shine by showing the procession on a large-screen television.
It was all part of making sure everyone from guest and buddies to care providers and parents shared the same joyful experience during what was one beautiful Night to Shine.