Jessica Warren sat still as family friend Michelle Gallegos worked a brush gently through her hair. In the doorway, her mother, Sandra Hirschfelt, watched with a wide smile, taking in the moment. A blue sequined dress, carefully chosen weeks earlier, waited nearby, ready for the evening ahead.
In a few hours, Jessica would step onto a red carpet in Richmond Hill, greeted by cheers, flashing cameras, and high-fives at Night to Shine, a prom-style event celebrating individuals with special needs.
Night to Shine is part of a global initiative led by the Tim Tebow Foundation, but in Richmond Hill, it has taken on a distinctly local feel powered by students, families, and church members who return year after year.
Long before the honored guests arrive, preparations begin. Weeks ahead of the event, families attend a formal fitting stocked with more than 600 donated dresses and 200 suits, along with shoes and accessories.
Organizers say the goal is to remove financial barriers so every guest can participate at no cost.
At Bryan County Health & Rehab, Pamela Fabian coordinates residents interested in attending. Staff members help with outfits, hair, and makeup before walking residents across the street to the church. For many in full-time care, it is the only time all year they leave the facility.
“They never get invited to things,” Fabian said. “They look forward to it. This is so good, especially for people who get overlooked.”
Event Director Gina Vogul said she felt called to bring the event to the community after volunteering at another host church.
“This is something they look forward to all year,” Vogul said. “When they get out of the limo, they just light up when they see everybody cheering for them.”
On the night of the event, guests check in, meet their assigned chaperones, and move through stations before boarding limousines for their red-carpet arrival.
Outside First Baptist Church Richmond Hill, high school cheerleaders, athletes, and a marching band lined up to welcome 145 honored guests. One by one, limousines pulled up. Names boomed over loudspeakers as guests stepped out to applause from Richmond Hill High School students.
Inside, more than 250 volunteers helped guests move through dinner, hair and makeup stations, shoe shines, and onto the dance floor.
For Hirschfelt and her family, the event has become a highlight of the year. Her daughter, Jessica, loves to strut and spin down the red carpet, Hirschfelt said. But the night carries a deeper meaning.
“They just never had proms for the kids with special needs when they were growing up,” she said.
She has also seen the change in her son Christopher. Once shy and withdrawn, he gradually began to open up in social settings. “There’s no judgment there,” Hirschfelt said. “They’re just all equal.”
For those who attend Night to Shine, it is more than a themed prom. It is a night when the community shows up to celebrate them loudly and without hesitation.
“They don’t make them feel like they’re special needs,” Hirschfelt said. “They don’t even look at the disability. They definitely shine.”
This article appears in Coastal Lens.
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