ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It was a Night to Shine at the St. Petersburg Coliseum Friday night. The Tim Tebow Foundation held its annual prom for people with special needs there for the third year.

What You Need To Know

The Tim Tebow Foundation held its annual Night to Shine on February 13 in St. Petersburg

It’s a prom-type event for people with special needs who are ages 14 and up

The coordinator said guests live with conditions ranging from learning disabilities to ambulatory impairments

Guests told Spectrum News they enjoy the event because they can let loose without feeling self-conscious

“Epic,” said Kimberly Nash, coordinator of the Pinellas County event, when asked to describe the night in one word. “It’s amazing, it’s beautiful, it’s fantastic. There’s not one word that can actually describe tonight.”

Nash said registration filled to capacity within an hour-and-a-half of opening, and this year’s waitlist was longer than the actual guest list.

Invitees arrived in limos and were greeted by a red carpet lined with volunteer “paparazzi.”

“This is my third year doing it, and I love it,” said volunteer Kim Heffner.

“You get to cheer them on, blow bubbles, give them high-fives,” said six-year-old Liv, another volunteer.

At one point, volunteers took part in an impromptu sing-along when one guest started singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by one of his favorite artists, John Denver.

“Seeing what they have to go through day by day, I mean, it’s just amazing to see everyone show up for them,” said Heffner.

Guests attending Night to Shine. (Spectrum News/Sarah Blazonis)

Connor Deeb and Ashunti Teasley Dorsey said they wouldn’t have missed this year’s event for the world. It was the second time attending for both of them.

“Honestly, I love it here,” said Deeb, 22. “It’s a great place to meet people, have some great music, dance.”

“We get to be ourselves without having to worry about judging and things like that,” said Dorsey, 25.

Dorsey told Spectrum News she has autism and chronic tic disorder. She said that means she makes movements that she can’t control.

“I remember waking up one day, and I thought I was just having chills until it started progressing worse and worse until I found out it’s tics,” she said. “Even though I struggle, I continue to move on and live my life like no other.”

Dorsey said tics aren’t something she has to be self-conscious of at Night to Shine, and that’s the point.

“It’s a night that we invite those with special needs, and we remind them that it is not their disability that defines them, it is Christ,” said Nash.

Nash said the 265 guests live with a range of conditions, from learning disabilities to ambulatory impairments. This night is about giving them and their plus-ones a chance to feel like royalty.

“Whether you leave here as an honored guest with a crown on your head and a smile on your face and probably some feet that hurt from all the dancing, or a parent who has seen your child celebrated and loved tonight, I think that everybody just leaves here with joy,” said Nash.

A Night to Shine is a worldwide event held in more than 700 locations. Nash said this is the third year Central Christian Church hosted the Pinellas event.

Nash said they hope to hold next year’s dance at the newly repaired Tropicana Field. If that works out, she said that they can expand to inviting 750 guests.