<p>For one night, they all get to be kings and queens.</p><p>Attendees at the annual Night to Shine will arrive at Mount Pleasant Christian Church dressed in dapper suits or sparkling dresses. One by one, they will walk down the red carpet, greeted by friendly paparazzi and well-wishers, smiling for photographs before entering the dance hall.</p><p>They’ll be treated to hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres and a catered dinner. A DJ playing popular music is set to keep the crowds dancing, while karaoke and other activities add to the special night.</p><p>The impact it has on those taking part is immense.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>"I can always feel God’s love there," said Liam Price, a Center Grove High School student diagnosed with autism who regularly attends the event. "Maybe I didn’t know how I’d be treated at a regular prom, but I know I’d always have a better chance of being treated with respect at Night to Shine."</p><p>Night to Shine has become a beloved tradition for Johnson County residents with special needs, as well as for the families. The annual prom is now in its fifth year at Mount Pleasant Christian Church, the only location in the county to host the event.</p><p>More than 350 guests, and an additional 400 caregivers, will be treated like royalty throughout the evening. Seeing the impact Night to Shine has on everyone involved — from the guests to the caregivers to the volunteers and sponsors who make the event possible — is unforgettable, said Heidi Wright, serve coordinator for the church.</p><p>"There is so much love and energy," she said. "From the very beginning, when folks walk in the door and get this red carpet experience, there’s a thrill and celebration. People are overcome with joy about being honored and loved here. It’s their night, their moment."</p><p>Night to Shine was created by the Tim Tebow Foundation, a nonprofit group that reaches out to some of society’s most vulnerable people. Aid programs include helping support orphans throughout the world, working with children with life-threatening illnesses and helping organize community service efforts.</p><p>For the past six years, the foundation also has organized the special Night to Shine events each February. The proms are aimed at those with special needs age 14 and over, providing an unforgettable evening for the entire community in which every participant is crowned king or queen.</p><p>The first year the event was held in 2015, 44 churches hosted dances. This year, the number of host churches will reach 720, serving more than 100,000 guests in total.</p><p>"We believe so strongly in the outreach to the special needs individuals and their families in our community. It is a pure example of the love of God, which is what we want to exemplify here," Wright said. "We just want to show love."</p><p>For Price, the event is highlight of his entire year, in part because it has helped build his confidence.</p><p>"It’s helped me. If I wanted to go out and dance, I can always do that there. Maybe I didn’t feel comfortable in front of people at other kinds of events, but I do there," he said. </p><p>Price is a senior at Center Grove High School. He’s active in a number of school organizations, and is a manager for the basketball team. In October, he was voted homecoming king for the school.</p><p>He is incredibly active with the Special Olympics in a number of sports, and is a U.S. Youth Ambassador for Special Olympics Unified Champion, speaking all around the state about his experience with the organization. At Center Grove, he’s part of the Unified track and field team as a shot-putter.</p><p>After graduating from Center Grove, he’ll be attending University of Indianapolis.</p><p>Many factors have played into Price’s success over the past year. But his parents attribute Night to Shine to helping him get comfortable socializing and being in large crowds.</p><p>"He’d been used to going to places and being around people. But being at a dance, where there’s so much party activity, is completely different. If he might have some quirky behaviors during it, it’s nothing to be more nervous about, because he has all kinds of friends there that he knows cares for him," said Cindy Price, Liam’s mother. "It helps him grow his confidence."</p><p>Before he started attending Night to Shine, Liam Price signed up to ballroom dancing with the Special Olympics, so that he knew how to dance in time for the big night, Cindy Price said.</p><p>This year, Emma Benefiel and Kennedy Brim, two of his friends at Center Grove, asked him to go to Night to Shine. They made him a poster and brought him candy, then asked him at a recent Center Grove basketball game.</p><p>"Night to Shine has given him a lot of confidence, holding the door open for people, being a gentleman, dancing, just being in a party atmosphere," said Jon Price, Liam’s father.</p><p>Mount Pleasant first hosted Night to Shine in 2016, and since that point, the event has been one of the most popular activities the church hosts, Wright said. Registration typically opens in mid-November, and within four weeks, all available slots are full.</p><p>For families like the Prices, the event is a priority, something they plan for each year.</p><p>"Parents, caregivers, special needs adults that we meet with regularly here, they have it on the calendar a year out. They know when it’s happening, and they cannot wait. It’s the highlight of the year for a lot of them, and for those of us here who are involved with it," Wright said.</p><p>To see such a response is encouraging, though organizers wish that everyone who wanted to participate could, Wright said.</p><p>"There’s so much awareness, and everybody wants to be a part of it," she said. "We only have so much space, and fire regulations and capacity make us limit attendance. But Night to Shine has gained so much momentum that there are other churches nearby that have started hosting it, so it’s been a good thing; we can send them to those churches once we’re full."</p>
