Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
One of the biggest parties of the year in downtown Warsaw took place Friday night at the Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church (WEPC).
Paula Bowman, one of the event coordinators for Night To Shine, said they’ve been putting on the event for nine years, with eight of those years at the WEPC.
“Night To Shine started with the Tim Tebow Foundation, and he said that there was a need, that the special needs people in the community don’t usually get to go to prom, and he decided that was something that was lacking in their lives, so he started ... Night To Shine,” she explained.
The foundation reached out to different communities that wanted to help throw a prom for those with special needs in the community.
“They funded it, like the first year, and if you wanted to do more than what they gave you, you had to find money. So, we accept any and all sponsorships. It costs a lot to put this event on,” Bowman said.
Night To Shine is always the Friday night before Valentine’s Day.
They rent limousines for the guests so the guests can get the full prom experience.
“So, we start, this year, at the cosmetology class at Lakeview. And with that, the girls get their hair and makeup done. The boys can get their hair done, they get their shoes shined. And before that, Grace has opened up where they have set up dressing rooms and the guests can go and choose a new outfit so it’s not out of pocket for the parents or caregivers,” Bowman said.
With everything being provided - there’s no cost to be a guest or buddy - there’s no excuse for the guests not to show up.
“It just makes it really, really special for everybody. So, they leave cosmetology all fluffed and pretty and they get to ride in a limo over here from Lakeview to Presby. That’s super special,” she said. “They get matched up with a buddy, and the buddy comes with them in the limo. A buddy is a volunteer and they don’t necessarily know the person until that night.”
The buddy helps the guest with things like their coats, dinner, dancing and help them have fun all night long.
When they walk into Presby, they walk in on a red carpet to the cheering section that welcomes them. They get their corsages, and this year there also were prom queen sashes and red capes for the girls and boys, respectively.
There’s dinner, formal portraits and then there’s another photo section for funny photos.
“Then they dance the night away to a DJ, and we’ve got all kinds of fun stuff for them. We’ve got flashing wands, we’ve got glow-in-the-dark bracelets and then about 7:15 tonight will be the crowning,” Bowman said. “We have a video from Tim Tebow and his wife that is just kind of a welcome, we’re glad you’re here, you’re so special kind of thing. And then the buddies will go and grab the crowns and they will crown their guest and then finish dancing the rest of the night.”
Guests get to take home backpacks from the foundation that say “Night To Shine” on them. They’re filled with goodies, including a coupon for a free skate night at Eastlake Skate.
Bowman said they love their sponsors.
“It takes a lot of money to put this on. We usually feed 400 between the guests and the buddies and the volunteers and everything. This year, it’s 500. We closed registration at 175 (guests), but then we got a bunch more registration in so we have about 184 guests coming tonight, so we need buddies for all of them,” she said.
Anyone 18 and older can serve as a buddy to the guests. For the cheering squad, a person can be 14 and older.
“You don’t have to know your person. You just need to have fun and just kind of be a caregiver for your person. You can be family, or you can be somebody new that they’ve never met before and just have fun having a conversation with them and dancing,” Bowman said.
Night To Shine also offered karaoke after dinner for the guests, and a respite room for the parents or caregivers. The event at WEPC went until 9 p.m. Friday.
The welding class at the high school made the 4-foot-tall lighted “Night To Shine” letters for the gymnasium. The cosmetology and welding classes did not charge for their time.
EMTs were on hand in case of emergency, and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office was on hand for safety and security. Blosser’s was on hand for pictures, and American Table provided the chicken nuggets, with EPC providing the rest of the meal.
“It’s a fun-filled night that takes us a year to plan,” she stated. “... It’s so much fun!”
For anyone interested in participating next year, Bowman said they have a Facebook page @nighttoshinewarsaw they post on; they post information in the newspaper; and the Warsaw Night To Shine is on the list at timtebowfoundation.org
