Waco: Local church one of 400 to host simultaneous proms

A Waco church has been selected as one of more than 400 churches worldwide to host simultaneous proms for people with special needs put on by the foundation of star athlete Tim Tebow.

“We want to just give them a night to remember,’ said Jack Whiddon, community minister at Crestview Church of Christ in Waco.

The event is called “Night to Shine” and is sponsored by the foundation started by the former Heisman-winning quarterback with a mission of “bringing faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day.”

Tebow said he’s had a passion for helping those with special needs since growing up the son of missionaries in the Philippines.

“I met a boy named Sherwin who would impact my life more than anyone I have ever met,” Tebow said on his foundation’s website.

“Sherwin was born with his feet on backwards and was viewed as “cursed to his village. When the people saw me hold Sherwin, they realized that the good news of Jesus Christ applies to everyone.”

The proms will be held simultaneously on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 in all 50 states and 15 countries around the world.

Crestview Church of Christ said it’s honored to host such a special night.

“It’s a big deal because we’re serving an incredible part of our community as well as their caregivers,” Whiddon said.

“And that's the number one thing and for us to serve God and serve our community that's a big deal.”

“Night to Shine” is open to anyone with special needs older than 14.

Whiddon said the church is teaming up with Elite Therapy Group in Waco to make sure the needs of the attendees are met while also making sure they have a blast.

“We'll have the red carpet, limousines, hair and makeup that the girls can come in and have done for them and also shoe shine for the guys,” Whiddon said.

“We've got karaoke room, games rooms, we’ve got a room for the caregivers who need to stay.”

What the group still needs is volunteers.

Organizers plan to reach out to area schools for help, but say registration for volunteers will also be open on the church’s website on Nov. 1.

“We're going to need a whole lot of volunteers and we want the community to be involved and so we know we're expecting about 150 special needs guests to be a part of this,” Whiddon said.

“And each one of them will have a buddy and that's a volunteer. And more than that we have other volunteers to help with food and all the other activities.”

“We just want to just give them a night to remember,” Whiddon said.