Tim Tebow helped make Valentine’s Day weekend truly unforgettable for some amazing people this year. Through the Tim Tebow Foundation, he launched the first ever ‘Night to Shine’, a worldwide prom event specifically for people with special needs that took place in 48 states and 7 different countries. Night to Shine first kicked off off in Haiti and then over the course of the weekend, it took place in 200 churches throughout the U.S., Uganda, New Zealand, Ecuador, Kenya, and the Phillippines. The event focused on giving people with special needs a reason to celebrate being themselves, even if just for one night.
Over 32,000 people with special needs showed up to Night to Shine dressed to the nines and ready to dance. Tebow even made an appearance at several of the events throughout the weekend, including the first one in Haiti, and took lots of pictures with the happy prom-goers. Over 70,000 volunteers for the foundation also helped to make the event a successful one, offering hair and makeup services to anyone who wanted it and making sure the decorations, which included a red carpet for people to walk in on, were perfect. For the guests, the most special part of the night was the crowning of the prom king and queen. To their surprise, every single person at the prom was given a crown to show them that they are all kings and queens.
“Our whole point – our whole reason for doing this – is to show these people that they matter. They matter to me. They matter to people who love them. They matter to God,” Tebow said to People magazine about the Night to Shine event.
“It’s just so important to me. I’ve always had a burden for people who can’t fight for themselves. The disabled are often bullied and told in a million ways that they’re not important. Well, they are important, and this is a night for them to realize that they are important – and for the community to actually see them and celebrate them.”
Tim Tebow showed his love in the best way this past Valentine’s Day and he hopes to continue this tradition for many more years in the future.
