NE Ga. Hosts ‘Night to Shine’

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

night  to shineIt was a night to shine for some special residents of Franklin, Hart and Stephens counties last Friday as the Swails Center in Franklin Springs rolled out the red carpet and the limos began arriving for the “Night to Shine” ball for special needs adults.

Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, hundreds of special needs adults, dressed in their finest evening wear, attended the ball.

On his “Night to Shine” web Site, Tim Tebow said he started the Night to Shine project to let physically and cognitively challenged adults know they are loved.

“We wanted people with special needs to feel important and to know that they are loved, but more importantly to know that there is a God who loves them; that God created them just the way they are and that He has special plan for their lives.” Tebow said on his Web site. “So we came up with this idea to hold a prom where they could all be a king or queen of the prom.”

In Phillipians, Paul tells us to make our joy complete by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit and intent on one purpose, Tebow said.

“What is that purpose? That purpose is God’s love for humanity,” he said. “That is what Night to Shine is all about. We want to share God’s love all over the world.”

Local organizers paired each attendee with a student from Franklin or Hart County High Schools who made sure they enjoyed the night of live music, dancing, games and food.

Other volunteers from local hair and nail salons did the girls’ hair and makeup so everyone looked their best for the big night.

Franklin Springs was not the only site for the “Night to Shine” ball.

More than 200 host churches in 48 states and 8 countries hosted a Night to Shine event last Friday evening.

That’s more than 70,000 volunteers and 30,000 honored guests sharing the same amazing prom experience on the same night around the world.