I’ve been holding onto some news for about a week now and it’s just eating me up, so I have to let you all in on a little (ok maybe not so little) secret. This past week I was made aware that the church I pastor has been selected to be a host site for the 2020 Night to Shine. This event will take place at Living Word Galena on February 7, 2020! If you’re unfamiliar with Night to Shine, it’s a powerful experience that’s organized by the Tim Tebow Foundation where students with special needs get a prom all their own. They get to dance, sing, take pictures, be the stars they are and in the end they’ll be crowned Kings and Queens of the prom! It’s an amazing experience! Just check out this video.

As you can see from the video this amazing opportunity will not only be a night for these amazing young people to remember forever, but it will be a night we won’t soon forget either! A young lady in our congregation will be spearheading this event and its planning as she attends school to be an Intervention Specialist. But she won’t be doing this alone! The excitement from Living Word Galena members is already giving me chills. Men and women from the congregation are stepping up to help in so many ways! We’re going to need around 200 volunteers to pull this together!

But we need more than just the volunteers. You see this Night to Shine is more than just a dance. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that has just about everything you can think of being offered. We’re looking for photographers, videographer, caterer, and DJ. But we’re also going to be giving each honored guest a corsage or boutonniere. The girls will have a chance to have their hair touched up by one of our volunteer hair stylists. The guys can stop in the shoeshine room for a quick touch up on those shiny black shoes. We hope to have a Photo Booth to add just one more element of fun to the night! And we have Rosie our local comfort dog coming to bring some extra smiles to those in attendance.

As you can see there is a lot to do! And actually we could use your help. There are a few ways you can help us make this truly a Night to Shine! Here are a few ideas:

  • Pray. I know it may seem super easy but we really do believe in the power of prayer. Pray that all the necessary parts start to fall into place. Pray that the funding to help us cover this expense comes through. Pray that the young people involved will realize they are special, loved and more than just prom royalty but actually sons and daughters of the King of kings!
  • Volunteer. Like I said, this event is going to take over 200 volunteers to pull it off. We’ll need everyone from buddies for each guest in attendance to roaming photographers to valet assistants to flower helpers and shoe shiners to set up and tear down crews to people restocking bathroom essentials through the night, people to talk and listen, people with calming voices and big smiles, technical people and those willing to just jump in and do whatever. The list is huge! So if you want to volunteer, just let me know.
  • Support. At this point, we’re estimating this event to operate with a budget of approximately $40,000 to cover decorations and all of the things listed above. So we’re looking for sponsors for the 2020 Night to Shine in the form of financial contributions or in-kind donations of services needed. If you would like more information on how these donations will be used or what in-kind donations we need, please contact me personally at pastord@livingwordgalena.com. For financial sponsors, we’re setting up tiers of support. Every level of support is vital and will be recognized equally! Here’s how we plan on recognizing each level of support:
    • $0-$999 – Your name or the name of your organization will be listed on our website’s Night to Shine page.
    • $1000-$2499 – Your name or organization name will be listed on our website’s Night to Shine page and recognition of your donation will be on a shared banner displayed out front the night of the event.
    • $2500 + – Your name or organization name will be listed on our website’s Night to Shine page and your organization’s logo will appear on your own banner on the front of our property the week of the event.

If you’re interested in sponsoring or supporting Night to Shine with the Tim Tebow Foundation here at Living Word, please reach out. I’d love to share the vision for this event, why we’re doing it and how your support will make a difference!