GRAND FORKS – Sunday, Feb. 5, is the deadline for guests to register for the “Night to Shine” event, set for 6-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Hope Church in the Grand Cities Mall.
The prom-type event, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is an opportunity to celebrate people with special needs, according to Annie Larson, a member of the event steering committee.
The event is meant to be a “catalyst to change how cultures embrace people with disabilities and to rally the church worldwide to honor their local community of people with special needs, ensuring they know they are valued and loved,” according to a news release from Larson.
The Night to Shine will be held simultaneously on Feb. 10 at hundreds of locations around the world, Larson said.
For more information and to register or volunteer for the Night to Shine 2023 in Grand Forks, visit www.gfhope.org .
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People with special needs, who are 15 and older, may participate free of charge in this “unforgettable” prom night, Larson said. About 50 more guests may register for the event which is limited to 150.
You do not have to attend Hope Church to participate as a guest or volunteer.
Guests will enter the event on a red carpet, complete with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd, Larson said. The event will feature hair-and-makeup stations, a shoe-shining area, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, prom favors, karaoke, and a dance. Limo-buses, with lights and music, will take guests on 10-minute rides around town throughout the evening.
A sensory room, where guests can interact with therapy dogs, also will be available.
In other respite rooms, parents and caregivers can enjoy “mini-massages” by massage therapists and a reflexologist, as well as a complimentary meal.
“It’s a place for them to put their feet up for a couple of hours” and know that their loved one is well cared-for, Larson said.
The evening will culminate with each guest being crowned king or queen of the prom.
“Community support has been so amazing,” she said.
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Each volunteer will be paired with a person with special needs. Volunteers must be 16 and older; child care will be available for volunteers’ children. More volunteers will be needed if more guests register, she said.
The Night to Shine is meant to convey to every person with special needs “that their life has purpose and they are loved by us and the God of this universe,” Tebow, founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, said in a news release.
Tebow is a former college football star who also played quarterback in the National Football League.
Each year since the event was initiated in 2015, Tebow has attended a Night to Shine event in person, as a surprise guest. It is not known in advance which worldwide event he will attend, Larson said.
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