By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire and Risen Christ Lutheran Church in Davenport announce that they will once again co-host Night to Shine 2021, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love and celebrating people with special needs, will be held Friday, Feb. 12, through a unique online event. Our Lady of the River and Risen Christ stand with the Tim Tebow Foundation to honor the local community of people with special needs, ensuring they know they are valued and loved.
Miss Blackhawk Valley Outstanding Teen 2020 Regan Tucker crowns Jaimie B. during last year’s Night to Shine event at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. This year’s event will be virtual.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the safety of every honored guest as a top priority, Night to Shine 2021 will be a virtual experience. The honored guests will have the opportunity to enjoy music, dancing, prom favors and messages from special guests, all of it leading up to the moment when each honored guest is crowned king or queen of the prom.
This is the night “where we get to bring them together and say, ‘you matter, we love you and we are throwing this awesome party because that’s how special you are,’” Tebow said. “This is why we knew we couldn’t cancel Night to Shine 2021. Our heart is always to love and encourage and it’s never to put anyone at risk and that is why we are confident in our decision to celebrate Night to Shine 2021 as a fully virtual experience.”
The Tim Tebow Foundation sponsors Night to Shine and provides each host church with infrastructure and support necessary to execute the virtual event with excellence. The foundation also offers ongoing special needs ministry resources through Shine On to assist churches in beginning or enhancing special needs ministry at their church. The foundation has budgeted nearly $2.75 million annually in financial support to hundreds of churches needing assistance in hosting the event across the United States and internationally.
Night to Shine continues to experience incredible growth. The event launched in 2015 with 44 host churches and 15,000 volunteers honoring more than 7,000 kings and queens of the prom. Last year, 721 host churches and 215,000 volunteers came together to celebrate 110,000 honored guests with special needs. The foundation anticipates serving even more people with special needs through this year’s exclusive virtual experience.
For more information on the Night to Shine hosted by Our Lady of the River Church in LeClaire and Risen Christ Lutheran Church in Davenport, including how you can register to participate, visit www.qcnight2shine.org. For more information on the worldwide movement of Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, visit: www.timtebowfoundation.org.
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I am interested in signing up next year for my daughter that had prader willi syndrome with alot of other health conditions. The cold and heat can kill her because she cant control her body temperature. She can go out but can’t be in heat or cold too long.