On February 13, thanks to the Tim Tebow Foundation, people with special needs and disabilities all around the globe celebrated with their own night to remember. The Foundation sponsored its first annual Night to Shine “at host churches in 44 cities, 26 states and 3 countries.” Over 7,000 guests attended with over 15,000 volunteers ready to serve them.
Guests had their makeup done, received crowns, walked down a red carpet, heard special messages, and danced the night away. At one prom in South Carolina, Tebow stopped and shined shoes for some of the guys.
People featured pictures from the Night to Shine in an exclusive article here.
The night accomplished Tebow’s mission for his foundation – “to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need” – in a number of ways. A grateful parent shared: “My daughter will never get married and she will never have children, but tonight you made her feel like a princess.” In Kenya alone, dozens received Christ as Savior during the Night to Shine. Bishop Grace Kariuki reported:
This was a new thing that amazed everyone. The most important thing is we had about thirty give their lives to Jesus.
In his own message, Tim Tebow told the attendees that while this night was designed to make them feel like royalty, in God’s eyes, they are that special every single day:
Tonight, our number one goal is to make you feel like kings and queens. But to be honest with you, every moment of your life, God looks at you like a king or a queen because you are so special.
Once again, the life of Tim Tebow is highlighting the value of all life to a nation – and a world – that desperately needs that message. From Tebow’s own birth story, where his mom rejected abortion after a harrowing encounter with amoebic dysentery, to his foundation’s work with 2,100 orphans in six countries and children with medical needs, and now the Night to Shine, this young man is raising the standard.
Each life deserves a chance. Each life is precious. Each life has value. And each life deserves a lifetime.
The people with special needs who attended the Night to Shine represent a community who is targeted for abortion. Abortion clinics advertise their services for children with disabilities – including ones as fixable as a cleft lip. Babies with Down syndrome are aborted at an 80-90% rate. And all over the internet, parents tell their stories of being pressured to abort their children diagnosed with special needs.
It’s time we gave each of these children life instead of death and that we gave each of them the opportunity to celebrate at their own Night to Shine.
Hear more from Tim Tebow as he explains why the Night to Shine is a passion of his:
