Night to Shine to return to San Angelo

Aaron McGuire
·5 min read

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — One of San Angelo’s most spectacular nights of the year for the local disabled community is set to return in February bigger than ever. But a larger-than-life event requires a monumental effort.

Night to Shine is an event designed to provide disabled individuals ages 14 and up, dubbed “honored guests,” with a prom night, complete with games, dining, colossal party robots, a red carpet walk and more. Held by San Angelo’s own Calvary Baptist Church and sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, the celebration has been held in the city for six of the 10 years that have passed since its inception.

“Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom experience centered on God’s love for individuals with special needs,” Stacy McCormick, event coordinator of San Angelo’s Night to Shine, said. “We just gather together to show each individual that they’re valued and loved by their community and by the Lord.”

Illuminated letters spell out “SHINE” on the dance floor at the McNease Convention Center. IMage courtesy of Stacy McCormick.
Illuminated letters spell out “SHINE” on the dance floor at the McNease Convention Center. IMage courtesy of Stacy McCormick.

There are multiple events that take place leading up to the big night, however. Lady honored guests will be invited to dress boutiques to try on and reserve outfits for the event, with the majority of the hundreds of attire options coming from clothing donations. The men, on the other hand, receive tuxedo vouchers that can be redeemed at the local Bridal Boutique shop.

Meanwhile, volunteers receive training on how to fill the various roles needed to keep Night to Shine running smoothly, such as table floaters and game hosts. One position that’s in constant high demand is the buddy, a role that partners a volunteer with an honored guest and tasks them with making Night to Shine as fun as possible.

“Their buddy is just a friend to them that’s there all night long,” McCormick said. “They never leave their side unless it’s an emergency, but they dance with them, they play games with them.”

Once the event kicks off, the honored guests get to walk the red carpet with their assigned buddy, all the while volunteers cheer them on. After they’ve basked in the limelight, the floor is theirs — a full schedule of festivities awaits, including free food, fun games, a constant stream of music and, of course, dancing.

An honored guest walks the red carpet with a dancing “robot” performer. Image courtesy of Stacy McCormick.
An honored guest walks the red carpet with a dancing “robot” performer. Image courtesy of Stacy McCormick.

At the end of the night, all honored guests are crowned the king or queen of the prom by their buddies. They are given a special crown to wear, and they receive a bag full of goodies to take home.

Attendance has almost tripled over the course of the prom night’s six years of life in San Angelo, even overcoming the strict limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. McCormick attributes this to the event’s rapid spread through social media and the willingness of caregivers to trust the event runners.

“They have become more trusting, and some parents have built relationships with the team members that work the event,” McCormick said. “They leave and go home or go out to eat or whatever, and they don’t have to worry because they know that their children are in good hands.”

Such exponential growth hasn’t come without its problems. One would think funding may be an issue, but a combination of church-backed funding, donations from the community and resources allocated by the Tim Tebow Foundation have largely met monetary needs, according to McCormick. The real problem being faced is a shortage of volunteers willing to be buddies.

“People are scared to be a buddy because they don’t know what it’s going to be like,” McCormick said. “That’s really a struggle we seem to have every year, especially with a growing number. We’re always in a shortage of buddies.”

In previous iterations of the event, volunteers passionate about the positions they were holding had to be pulled into the role of a buddy at the last second due to the overwhelming need. McCormick and the others who run Night to Shine hope that they can avoid doing that this year so that volunteers can be just as satisfied as the honored guests.

“[The honored guests] are just people,” McCormick said. “A lot of people get scared because they have needs that I don’t have and that you don’t have, but they’re still valued and loved. They really are the most fun to be around, and they know how to have a good time.”

Honored guests and buddies share the dance floor. Image courtesy of Stacy McCormick.
Honored guests and buddies share the dance floor. Image courtesy of Stacy McCormick.

Night to Shine is still scheduled to take place, though, in a determined effort by the minds and hands behind the celebration to cater to the honored guests who have come to cherish the event for what it is — a time to love themselves and a time to feel loved.

This year’s Night to Shine will take place at the McNease Convention Center, located at 501 Rio Concho Drive, on Friday, Feb. 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with volunteers and honored guests being asked to arrive at 5 p.m. There are currently 136 honored guests and 416 volunteers signed up, according to McCormick.

Are you interested in enrolling an honored guest or joining the ranks of the volunteers? If so, visit the San Angelo Night to Shine’s website to get in on the action.

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