Chris McCormick Pries, center, Night to Shine lead organizer for the Iowa Quad Cities, visits with prom guest Blake Alken during the glamorous event for individuals with special needs held Feb. 7 at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Davenport — Theresa Lemen smiles contentedly as her date, St. Ambrose University junior Zach Hewett, leads her on the dance floor at Night to Shine in the university’s Rogalski Center ballroom. “I met Theresa through Special Olympics basketball,” Zach says, “and she asked if I would be her date for Night to Shine.”
Zach happily accepted Theresa’s invitation. He loves the environment of Night to Shine, a glamorous prom experience celebrated worldwide and underwritten by the Tim Tebow Foundation and local donors to bring joy to guests with special needs. More than 800 churches in more than 60 countries participated in this year’s Night to Shine on Feb. 7. Tebow’s aim is to celebrate the value and dignity of people with special needs and to affirm God’s love for them.
“I love the people. They know how to have fun,” Zach said during Night to Shine, which St. John Vianney Parish in Bettendorf and St. Ambrose University (SAU) hosted for the Iowa Quad-Cities area. The partners, new to hosting the prom, welcomed around 150 guests and a matching number of buddies to provide a more intimate prom experience and to reduce long lines that occurred during previous years’ proms.
Strings of glittering lights spanned the ballroom’s ceiling. Clusters of balloons in Night to Shine colors of robin eggshell blue, purple, silver and black decorated the entryway of the red carpet walk leading to the ballroom. Pageant queens in elegant gowns and other volunteers dressed in their Sunday best shook shiny gold pompoms and cheered. Emcee Bryce White announced each guest’s name and said something thoughtful about each one, based on cards that volunteer Jim Anderson handed to him.
Jim and his wife, Teresa, members of Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire, led the red carpet activity, ensuring a positive experience for everyone. “It makes my heart so full when I see these big smiles as (the guests) are ready to walk the red carpet. They’re so excited,” Teresa said.
“Sam loves dinosaurs, the Kansas City Chiefs and ‘How to Train Your Dragon!’ He’s a college student who works part-time, and green beans are his kryptonite!” Bryce declares as he reads a guest’s card. “Blake loves people, hugs, and smiles, home visits with parents, movies and music!” Bryce says of another guest. To someone who seems shy, Bryce offered encouragement. “Tony, are you ready to roll? You are ready, Tony!”
Bryce enjoys his emceeing gig for Night to Shine and preferred the intimate setting at SAU. “It probably helps everyone feel more included.” He wished his younger brother with Down syndrome, who lives in Wisconsin, could have participated. “Then I could party with him, too!”
Marissa McMichael, Jaide Kueter and Maude Heft, all second-year Occupational Therapy students at SAU, were among 100 of their peers volunteering at Night to Shine this year. The OT students had fun serving as go-fers. “It is so amazing to see everyone smiling and dancing and having a good time,” Marissa said. “It makes me excited for my future career in OT!”
Jaide appreciated that Night to Shine promotes inclusiveness for people with disabilities, “making sure they have opportunities to engage in fun things,” as she does. “I’m out there dancing and I can’t stop!” Maude was grateful for all of the volunteers committed to ensuring that the event ran smoothly. “There’s so much love in this community.”
Two young women, one a prom guest with special needs, enjoy dancing during Night to Shine, Feb. 7 at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. The glamorous event held worldwide celebrates individuals with special needs and their value as beloved sons and daughters of God.
Having the event on campus “makes it more accessible for our young people to get involved,” said Nicky Gant, the university’s coordinator of Service and Justice. She said lead organizer Chris McCormick Pries of St. John Vianney entrusted seven SAU student leaders to coordinate student volunteers and their training. Night to Shine fits well with the university’s commitment to Catholic Social Teaching, particularly as it relates to the dignity and value of every human life, Nicky added.
“We need to be voices for those who can’t,” said Kaylen Abrahamsen, who with co-student leader Anna Verry took lead roles in organizing and training their peers at SAU. Kaylen is involved in Special Olympics through her work with Davenport’s parks and recreation program. One of the training activities involved small-group sessions in which a person with special needs served as captain of each group, leading a game of Jeopardy to educate volunteers about Night to Shine.
“I think this is something that God wanted us to do,” Kaylen said of the prom. “I love working with youths and adults with disabilities,” who reciprocate that love deeply. “I can’t imagine my life without them, so doing this is a little way for me to say thank you,” Kaylen said.
“It’s taught me how to be a leader and how to plan something that I’m passionate about,” Anna said. “We’ve been planning since August of last year and all of the pieces have come together for this event. There’s so many people smiling in the ballroom and that’s what warms my heart the most.”
Juanita Ghere of Bettendorf treasured watching her daughters Caitlin, who has Down syndrome, and Ashley (Caitlin’s buddy), on the dance floor, enjoying their Night to Shine. “There is no disability here. Everybody is just one,” Juanita said.
Campus Chaplain Father Dale Mallory gave a blessing before the prom’s crowning moment. “Through our joy, we show the world that we are all created in God’s image and are deserving of his love and mercy,” he prayed. Participating in his first Night to Shine, he volunteered in the Karaoke Room, which was packed. Summing up his experience, he said, “I think it shows another side of the Catholic understanding of pro-life.”
Organizing Night to Shine is a huge effort. “It takes all of us. We all have a talent,” Chris said. Challenges happened along the way but she decided to turn them over to Christ during her 5:30 a.m. adoration hour on Friday mornings at St. John Vianney, praying the surrender novena.
Her take-away from Night to Shine: “a group of people, diverse and relatively unknown to each other, can come together and work harmoniously toward a common goal for the benefit of other individuals. ‘From him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work,’ (Ephesians 4:16).”
