By Bobby Winner

Friday, Feb. 9, Thiel College and the Tim Tebow Foundation hosted their annual Night to Shine event in the Howard Miller Student Center.

Night to Shine is an annual prom-style event for special needs citizens in the community and is a truly inspirational event.  The role of Thiel students during this event is to crowd the main hallway of the HMSC and to clap and cheer as the event’s guests make their way down the red carpet.

The College and the Tebow Foundation work together to bring this event back year after year due a consistently tremendous attendance and participation from the students, staff, and guests.  The efforts of students are recognized by the Foundation and make the event a night that the guests look forward to year-round.

“This event is a great way to give back to the community,” says junior and cameraman of the event, Shane Young.  “It is truly an honor to be asked not only to attend this great event, but also to film it, one of the best events of the year, no doubt.  I think this event keeps coming back because the Thiel community is all about serving the community and creating a special evening for those with special needs.  They truly appreciate our efforts and love this event, and that’s really special to us.”

“This event is truly a spectacular event and something that I’m glad to have participated in these last few years,” said sophomore student Shyann Foreman.  “I think that this event is amazing on two levels.  First, it’s amazing how something can bring together most, if not all, of the Thiel community to do something exceptional.”

“Also, it’s an amazing experience to help create a wonderful evening and atmosphere for those with special needs, they love this event and it’s a wonderful feeling when you see how excited the guests are, it makes it worthwhile,” Foreman continued. “This event is a personal favorite of mine, it’s great to help those in need and I personally can’t wait to help out again with this event next year.”

“I love being able to participate in great events like this, helping the community is a great thing to be able to do,” says junior Jacob Naber. “It’s an honor that Thiel gets to host an event of this caliber and importance, and it’s so cool to see the reactions of the guests when they’re being cheered on during their walk down the red carpet.  This is one of my favorite events of the year and it is a truly humbling experience to be able help in any way I can.  I’m certainly excited to be a part of this event in the future.”

The Tim Tebow Foundation has a website and is very active on social media as well, with, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.