Who says prom night is just for high schoolers?

Three Florida Conference churches are making plans to host “Night to Shine,” a Valentine’s Day weekend event for participants 16 and older in special needs programs. The event is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Participants will doll up with complimentary hair and makeup sessions, evening wear and corsages and boutonnieres. The event will include karaoke and dancing and conclude with each participant being crowned king or queen of the prom.

Florida Conference churches playing host are the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches (UMCPB) in West Palm Beach, Englewood UMC on the Gulf Coast and Grace at Fort Clarke UMC, Gainesville. For each church, it’s a big undertaking, requiring scores of volunteers, plus donations of apparel and other items needed to treat the participants to a special night, and the churches are reaching out to their communities for assistance.

They are among 200 churches in 48 states and eight countries – including 24 churches in Florida – to host the event this year. In addition, Perdido Bay UMC, Pensacola, in the Alabama-West Florida Conference is on the host list.

According to the Tim Tebow Foundation website, the intent is to remind people with special needs that God loves them and has a special plan for them.

Click here to see local television coverage in West Palm Beach from WPTV News.

Click here to see a video about the event at Grace at Fort Clarke.

Click here to see a news story from Englewood Edge.

– Susan Green is the Florida Conference managing editor.