\u2018Unforgettable experience\u2019: Special needs attendees become kings, queens at Marshall\u2019s Night to Shine<\/p>\n
Published 5:40 am Friday, February 20, 2026<\/p>\n
More than 100 attendees at the annual Night to Shine prom event danced the night away recently at Marshall Convention Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cNight to Shine is an annual prom night event organized by the Tim Tebow Foundation and hosted by Immanuel Baptist Church in Marshall and at over 950 other churches around the world,\u201d event coordinator Patti Brady said. \u201cIt is designed to celebrate and honor individuals 14 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing them with an unforgettable experience similar to a traditional prom.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the event featured limousine rides, red carpet arrivals, professional photography, a catered dinner, face painting, a sensory room and a respite room for parents and caregivers \u2014 all tailored to create a fun and inclusive environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNight to Shine aims to promote acceptance, love, and encouragement for people of all abilities,\u201d Brady said. \u201cThe celebration also features dancing, a crowning ceremony where every guest is honored as a king or queen, reflecting how God sees them each day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Night to Shine is held every year by churches on the Friday before Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
Attendees at the Marshall event enjoyed face painting, a conga line and dancing. They also enjoyed a catered meal by The Blue Frog and rolls provided by Golden Corral.<\/p>\n
The honored guests were escorted by 175 buddies and volunteers for the evening. Buddies and volunteers included Marshall ISD cheerleaders, Marshall ISD JROTC members, East Texas Baptist University cheerleaders and members of the ETBU men\u2019s soccer, track and field and volleyball teams.<\/p>\n
Organizers additionally recognized donors who also make the night special. Lyte Fiber provided a photo booth, while the Panola College cosmetology department offered professional hair and makeup services for the honorees.<\/p>\n
ML Decorations donated the marquee letters that illuminated the center stage, and the Cypress Junior Women\u2019s Club donated $250 to fund a meal for families in the respite room. Organizers also expressed appreciation to James Runnels, who has served as the red carpet announcer for the past eight years.<\/p>\n
Brady also thanked Immanuel Baptist Church staff, Night to Shine team leaders, Faces Alive Face Painting, Cammack Funeral Home, Downs Funeral Home, and Peoples Funeral Home for the limousine rides. Appreciation was also given to those who\u00a0 purchased items from an Amazon wishlist and Trinity Episcopal School Marshall, Richard and Amy and George Foreman Foundation for their monetary donations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt truly takes so many passionate people, organizations, and colleges\/universities working together to create such a special experience for everyone involved,\u201d organizers said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018Unforgettable experience\u2019: Special needs attendees become kings, queens at Marshall\u2019s Night to Shine Published 5:40 am Friday, February…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139885,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-139884","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}