Thousands of guests visited the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. for Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine on Feb. 8.
Night to Shine is a unique prom experience for people with special needs ages 14 and up. This is annual event was sponsored by two local churches, but is celebrated by over 650 churches worldwide. The evening consists of karaoke, dancing, and walking on the red carpet and ends with all special guests being crowned king or queen.
The event was created with students like PV senior Bobby Bender in mind. Bender attended the prom with his friend and fellow Spartan senior, Lily Williams. “I’ve come to enjoy my time as Bobby’s buddy in gym class, so when the opportunity arose for me to accompany him to this event, I was thrilled,” Williams said. Bender, a member of the Shining Stars Dance Team, shared his excitement about Night to Shine. “My favorite part was dancing,” he said.
Night to Shine is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose website explains its sole mission is to “bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour. They are committed to celebrating people with special needs. This year, they celebrated their fifth year anniversary of hosting this prom experience.
Due to the growing size of this popular event, it requires lots of volunteers. Jackie Mausser, an active member of the planning committee for the Tim Tebow Night to Shine, shared her input on the volunteer work that was supplied at this dance. “We have opportunities to help with all aspects of the event,” she said. Mausser explained there are many volunteer opportunities which include serving food, decorating, helping on the dance floor, and coordinating karaoke.
Pictured on the left, Lily Williams, attends Night to Shine on Feb. 8th with Bobby Bender pictured on the right
Williams hopes more students from PV become involved with the event in the coming years. “It is such an amazing experience that I wish I’d known about earlier. It is definitely a high school highlight,” she said.
Mausser said a person wanting to help support this cause can volunteer at next year’s event or make donations to the Tim Tebow Foundation, which will send a person with special needs to a Night to Shine. The event, after all, is free of charge to its guests.
The special needs community greatly benefits from the Tim Tebow Night to Shine dance. The students who attended from PV enjoyed the many wondrous things that were offered throughout the evening at Night to Shine and say they are already excited to do it all over again next year.
