Holmes County shines bright on special night

When former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow first created Night to Shine as a way to celebrate the many lives and gifts of people with special needs, the concept of making an evening devoted to a prom-like atmosphere took off immediately.

Holmes County had the pleasure of attending Night to Shine in both Wayne and Holmes counties, but the real dream of the staff at Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities and others was to introduce the event to Holmes County.

Kim Miller took the bull by the horns and made quick progress on connecting with Night to Shine to set up an event in Holmes County.

On Friday, Feb. 10, Holmes County finally had its long-awaited Night to Shine celebration, where 74 attendees, their individual buddies, nearly 200 volunteers and parents gathered together for an evening that began with a red-carpet welcome and ended with the king and queen crowning of each of the attendees. In between there were all types of games and activities, a banquet meal for both the attendees and the parents, and even a few tears of joy scattered among the smiles and laughter.

“We waited a long time for this evening, and it was well worth it,” Miller said. “This was such an amazing community effort, and we are so blessed to have the type of support from so many to make this a special evening.”

From the beginning when attendees arrived, with a pair of rotating show lights shining brightly into the night sky, the attendees were treated like royalty.

After checking in, Duane Morrison announced each attendee, along with some of their favorite things and hobbies, and they were ushered down the red carpet as two dozen paparazzi cheered them on amid plenty of photos and a videographer recording the proceeding. Members from the Gentlebrook Day Program made signs and created an electric atmosphere for the red-carpet entry.

“That red-carpet portion of Night to Shine is always incredibly emotional,” Miller said. “It’s their time to shine. Some of them walk through the gauntlet of fans high fiving, relishing the moment, while others are so giddy they can’t wait and rush through it at lightning speed.”

Brian and Brenda Miller wanted to take plenty of photos of their daughter Brittany. Unfortunately, Brittany nearly sprinted across the red carpet, such was her anticipation to get the evening started.

“She pretty much raced through it, and we barely had time for pictures,” Brian Miller said.

Inside there were all types of games to play, a karaoke machine, hair styling from Flourish Beauty Bar in Wooster, photographs by professional photographer Martha Stutzman, balloon artist Deb Schrock, speed drawing artist Philip Sarlo (also known as “The Swiss Cheese Man”) and more while outside there was a parade of limousine rides being offered.

The evening was a true joy for each of those who participated, be it as an attendee, a buddy or one of the many volunteers, and Miller said the exciting part was going to be when Monday morning rolled around and the Holmes County BDD would be buzzing from the lingering excitement.

“That’s all we’ll hear about for the next few days,” Miller said. “We already heard as the night was coming to an end how many were already excited about next year’s Night to Shine.”

The crowning moment came with the crowning of each individual in attendance, which included a video message from Tim and Demi Tebow that shared their congratulations and faith, a message Tebow has highlighted from the moment this event was created.

“You are amazing,” Tim Tebow said to all in attendance at Night to Shine events all over the world via video. “We are all royalty because our heavenly father is the king of this universe. Do you know what that makes us; it makes us royalty.”

Before the crowning moment, Demi Tebow said the only thing left to do in the evening was to present each individual with a crown or tiara crown.

“It is our honor to name every single one of you as the king or the queen of the prom,” Tebow said on the video.

With the way the HCBDD, members of Grace Church and the community rallied to create Holmes County Night to Shine, Miller said there was every reason to believe this event will become an annual evening.

While the night went as well as anyone could have hoped, Miller said she and several other committee members were diligent in keeping their eyes and ears open to suggestions where they could make next year’s event more memorable.

“We put this together really quickly,” Miller said. “We didn’t get an early start and put everything together in about 2 1/2 months. So throughout the night we paid attention to what we could change for next year. We already know there are some things, but as a whole, we were so pleased with the way everything went.”

Miller said the ongoing effort to find little ways of improving Holmes County Night to Shine would continue through a survey to each of the families in attendance and the volunteers.

The survey will allow those in attendance to share their thoughts on how things went, what they could do differently and their overall impression of the event.

“That’s how we can improve it, and we’re excited to see it grow. We were so thrilled with everything, considering it was our first time, and we can’t ever say enough thanks to the so many people who volunteered and made donations to make this incredible night possible.”