It Is Their Night

Annual Night to Shine

Photo courtesy of Caroline Cureton/Maclay Andalusian

On Feb. 7, Night to Shine held their annual prom at Immanuel Baptist Church at 6 pm. This day specializes in creating an ideal prom night for people with special needs. Night to Shine was first created by Tim Tebow in 2014 in Florida and has grown into an event all over the United States. 

At the beginning of the night, volunteers arrived early to set up the event. At 6 p.m., buses filled with all guests arrived, and each guest was paired with a “buddy,” a volunteer who serves as a date and accompanies the guest during activities. Similar to previous years, this year they had karaoke, animal therapy, shoe shine, party bus and limo rides, the dance floor, sensory room, red carpet and makeup and hair. The church also provided dinner for everyone to enjoy. 

At 8 p.m., the guests really got their time to shine. News reporters went on stage and presented a video from Tebow. In the video, he and his wife discussed why they started Night to Shine and that tonight is the guests’ night. Once the video was finished, all the guests received a crown, showing that they were prom kings and queens of the night.