For the second year in a row, Highland Park Community Church will be one of the 500 churches around the world to host the 2019 Night to Shine on Friday, February 8.
This event, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, brings a prom night experience to those with special needs ages 14 and older. The guests receive a red carpet welcome with paparazzi, hair and makeup stations, limo rides, a night of dancing, and more. Each honored guest is then crowned king or queen at the end of the night.
“It’s fun to be a part of something that is bigger than our community,” says Barbara Flinn, the Special Needs Coordinator for Highland Park.
Last year, 200 guests, aged 14 to 89 attended in Casper from five Wyoming counties. This year, they are expecting over 300 guests and at least 300 volunteers during the event. As Flinn explains, “This is really a night to highlight them and it gives the volunteers a chance to give back.”
The organization relies on a grant from the Tim Tebow Foundation and generous donations from the community in order to host this event free of charge to all of the guests. Community supporters at Eggington’s and Sodexo have donated food for the catered dinner.
The event is always held to the weekend before Valentine’s Day to “to take the love off of each other and put it to our God,” Flinn says.
Volunteers and guests can still sign up online or by emailing Flinn directly at bflinn@hpcc.cc.
