Guests entered the prom on a red carpet, receiving applause, cheers and plenty of smiles.
More than 200 honored kings and queens arrived decked out in their best attire and all smiles for the annual Night to Shine in Wilkes-Barre.
Night to Shine is a worldwide celebration for individuals with special needs. This year's event was held on Feb. 7, and locally, Genetti’s Hotel in Wilkes-Barre hosted the celebration.
The prom, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation in partnership with five local Lives Changed By Christ (LCBC) churches, allows volunteers to come together for a good cause and a unified goal.
“We're always looking for good that happens in our community that we want to make our love easy to see, because God loves every single person here in Northeast Pennsylvania,” said Steve Brown, the campus pastor at LCBC Dickson City. “For one night, strangers come together and put on this prom for people with special needs, so complete strangers can come together, not know each other, not have relationships, but be unified in purpose to make it the best night for every single king and queen.”
Brown said this year’s event welcomed 215 guests with special needs, referred to as honored kings and queens, and more than 500 volunteers. Out of those guests, 63 were coming to the event for the first time. Brown's organization starts planning in September.
The main goal of the night is making sure everyone is having a great time.
“We gauge [success] by the smiles that we see on the kings and queens when they leave every single environment, and that when they leave here, they want to come back next year,” Brown said. “When we open up the registration, it gets filled up within a week. That's a gauge that they loved what they were a part of last year.”
Guests looked forward to dancing, singing, rides on the party bus, karaoke and catching up with old and new friends. They also are pampered, as hair and makeup are offered, as well as shoe shining. Organizers want guests to feel their best.
During dinner, a video of former NFL player Tim Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh, played to applause and gasps. At the end of the video, the Tebows crowns each honored guest King and Queen of Night to Shine. Then, the dance floor opens for a few hours of fun.
Honored King Zach Beichler enjoyed his evening.
“I look forward [to it] every year,” he said with a smile.
That night, he was most looking forward to, “Just having fun with my friends!”
Each guest gets paired with a volunteer, known as a “Buddy” for the night. Buddies and other volunteers go through an orientation before the big night.
According to Brown, orientation ensures, “they're trained how to interact with people with special needs, make sure that we let them know that they are loved by God, that they are seen by him as his children, and that we just want to express his love to them for the special night.”
Beichler’s buddy, Haley Kane, has been a volunteer since 2018. This year was her second year as a buddy.
“The night is just so full of joy,” Kane said. “Getting to meet new people, it's a great experience, just to see how much fun that everyone is having. It's a very special night.”
Kane was excited for Beichler to have a good time.
“I hope that Zach and I can have the best time possible. We'll do whatever he wants to do, if that's karaoke, if that's dancing, whatever he wants. This is his night,” she said.
Night to Shine also focuses on thanking and supporting caregivers.
Lori Lee and her 21-year-old son with autism were at Night to Shine for the fifth time. While her son got paired with a buddy, she relaxed with other caregivers while eating a catered dinner and enjoying live music.
“It's amazing,” Lee said. “It is so appreciated. I don't think they realize how much it means to parents like me, who are home trying to fill time, trying to please. It's exhausting, and this is just so important for us to have that downtime as much as them.”
She got emotional talking about how happy Night to Shine makes her son.
“He always picks out his crazy tux,” she said. “This time, it’s silver paisley sparkle. Last year, it was bright red. He just loves it. He gets to be in charge for the day. It's all about him.”
Lee enjoys giving her son a sense of independence in an environment like Night to Shine.
“It's my night off. He is with a buddy. He is safe. He is having fun. He's not just with Mom again, and it's not family, it's a date. He's out having fun. I think that also is why he likes this. It's a sense of independence,” she said.
