NIGHT TO SHINE, 2020

"Everyone was dancing and laughing. Good time!" ~Night to Shine guest

Friday, February 7, 2020 was another awesome Night to Shine prom for special needs people worldwide. This year 721 churches hosted over 110,000 honored guests. The NTS website reported 215,000 volunteers helped make this a very special night. Wow! There were proms in all 50 states this year, as well as 34 countries. Ohio had 42 proms, and here in northeast Ohio 13 proms took place.

This was the third year our church hosted the prom. It's the sixth year since Night to Shine started in 2015, a ministry of the Tim Tebow Foundation. Once again it was a very successful and fun time for all, with many memories made.

After each guest checked in, they met their Buddy for the evening. Flowers, hair stations, shoe shine stations, and a limo ride to the red carpet, all before a delicious dinner. Lots of pictures - candid and posed. Karaoke was again very popular, to say the least. And the dance floor was always full. This year the DJ threw out a "dance off" challenge between the Chick-Fil-A cow and the Texas Roadhouse armadillo, who have joined the fun each year. It was quite a spectacle that everyone enjoyed. I'm still giggling at the sight. (-:

Pastor Jody shared he had an opportunity to stand at the door as guests departed. He was overwhelmed and blessed with all the positive and encouraging comments and hugs of appreciation for the event. Many guests have attended all three years. For some it was their first time. I'm thinking they will come back.

All the decorations are now down and stored until next February. And that's when we'll do it all over again. It takes a lot of planning, organizing, and work. We have an amazing NTS coordinator who handles the details with grace and peace. But she will say it's a "God thing" and all the folks who pitch in to get it done to make it happen.