Night to Shine is an event hosted by the Tim Tebow Foundation as an event for people with special needs. Night to Shine is hosted by local churches around the world. Each event is unique because of location, activities, and the red carpet entrance with a warm welcome, paparazzi, hair and makeup stations, shoeshines, limousine rides, karaoke, gifts, a catered dinner, a sensory room, dancing, and a crowning ceremony. At the crowning ceremony, every guest receives a crown, as a King or Queen, the way God sees them every day. There are three being hosted in the Des Moines Metro: Valley Church, Rising Sun Church, and Sacred Heart Parish (Tim Tebow Foundation). Night to Shine being hosted at Sacred Heart is on Friday February 13th, and I encourage you to sign up and go. They are still in need of male buddies and paparazzi/waiters. Night to Shine sign up

For many, Night to Shine isn’t just an event – it’s a memory, a feeling, and a moment they’ll never forget. For some, Night to Shine was an opportunity to serve: for others it was personal. The following stories reflect those different experiences. 

I had the opportunity to serve as the videographer for Night to Shine last year, and the experience changed me. Having a family member with autism made witnessing the event especially meaningful. Going into the event, I was nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Night to Shine is a joyful and unique experience to celebrate the individuals with special needs. It gave me the opportunity to see the impact of Night to Shine in a new light. 

For Ben Hall, he was a buddy last year, so he was paired up with someone. His role was to have fun with him, socialize, and enjoy the night with his buddy. At the start, his buddy was very nervous and not wanting to talk much, but by the end of the night they were on the dance floor dancing together. The special part of Night to Shine for Ben is the environment because it gave them an opportunity to do something different in a safe space. It taught Ben to be empathetic to people’s understanding and situations, but we can still make opportunities for people. 

Mr. Eure’s son, Andy, has Down Syndrome and has gone to four Night to Shines. Mr. Eure and his family stopped by at last year’s Night to Shine. He loved getting to see Andy and Alaysia dance together, interact with each other, and seeing him dressed up. It’s so special because the spotlight is on them and making sure they are having fun and getting to experience things normal kids do. Night to Shine has taught him another outlook of communication that he doesn’t always get to see, as Andy is not a very communicative person.