Guests get down on the dancefloor at Big Night Out at Mount Pleasant Christian Church in the Center Grove area on Friday, April 19. The event was created to celebrate members of the special needs community, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, with music, food, games and more throughout the evening.
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One by one, they walked down the red carpet sporting the best of looks.
Guests to the annual Big Night Out at Mount Pleasant Christian Church were dressed in dapper suits and ties, and stunning gowns.
But their most radiant accessories were the beaming smiles on their faces.
More than 1,000 guests and volunteers packed into Mount Pleasant Christian Church on Friday night for a gala event like none other. Members of the special needs community, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends mobbed the dance floor, sang karaoke, met pop culture icons such as Spider-Man and Captain America, and snacked on all kinds of food.
At Big Night Out, guests were treated like the kings and queens that they are.
“We want to honor and celebrate individuals and caregivers and families that are in the special needs community,” said Heidi Wright, missions and outreach director at Mount Pleasant. “We want to give them an opportunity to have a lot of fun and building community.”
This was the third year for Big Night Out at Mount Pleasant. Previously, the church had participated in Night to Shine, a program of the Tim Tebow Foundation held at churches throughout the country to provide an unforgettable prom experience for people ages 14 and older with disabilities.
For five years, Mount Pleasant Christian Church hosted a Night to Shine in mid-February. Attendees arrived dressed in dapper suits or sparkling dresses, walking one-by-one down the red carpet, greeted by friendly paparazzi and well-wishers. They enjoyed a catered dinner, danced to a DJ playing popular music and did karaoke and other activities throughout the special night.
But in 2021, when Night to Shine announced they would only be hosting a virtual prom, church officials decided to create a similar event that better fit their needs.
Big Night Out was born.
At the open-house style event, guests arrived to a celebratory, grand entrance along the red carpet. Once inside, they posed for photos with characters including Super Mario, a Minion, Anna and Elsa from “Frozen,” Disney princesses and more.
People could get temporary tattoos or have their hair done in crazy fashions. They bounced on inflatables and played games set up for them. Throughout the space, official and candid photo opportunities abounded.
Before they left, everyone received commemorative medals and t-shirts. They received an official Big Night Out photo of themselves, and were able to decorate their own frames to take home with them.
“I’m always humbled by the joy and gratitude that people have for putting this on,” Wright said. “It’s very life-giving for me personally.”
