Night to Shine comes to Siloam Springs
People with special needs had the chance to dance the night away at Siloam Springs’ first Night to Shine on Friday.
The event, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, provides a prom experience for people ages 14 and up, according to Joe Butler, director and co-founder of Ability Tree. A collaboration between Ability Tree, Community Christian Fellowship and 13 other local churches and organizations made it possible to bring Night to Shine to Siloam Springs for the first time, he said.
On Friday, about 60 honored guests had a chance to meet up with a designated buddy then get their hair and makeup done or shoes shined at Covenant Church before taking a limo ride to Community Christian Fellowship, where they were greeted with a red carpet experience and a throng of fans.
The guests were crowned prom queen or king and had their pictures taken at a photo booth, then participated in activities such as dancing and karaoke while parents relaxed in a hospitality room with catered food.
Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine is in its sixth year, according to the organization’s website, timtebowfoundation.org. A total of 721 churches from all 50 states and 34 countries hosted Night to Shine events on Feb. 7 for approximately 115,000 honored guests, supported by 215,000 volunteers, the website states.
Locally, 375 volunteers from local churches and organizations, including students and coaches from the Siloam Springs High School, came together to make the evening possible, taking on a wide range of tasks such as doing hair and makeup, serving as a buddy, decorating, preparing food and serving on the medical and security teams, Butler said.
“I just think it was a great community involvement. … It was neat to see the churches and the school district and the community come together to serve,” he said.