No one had to tell Molly Devine that it was her night to shine Friday evening. The 18-year-old Cedar Lake woman wore a beaming smile that rivaled the shiny sequins on her plum party dress.
Devine laughed and hugged and gave a thumbs-up as she and her best friend Sofia Cortes, also 18, of Schererville, navigated the 11th annual Night to Shine at Valparaiso Church of the Nazarene. Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation and put on by a flurry of volunteers, the celebration for people with special needs partied in a big way.
The sprawling church complex had festivities at every turn for the 400 guests and their buddies. There was karaoke on one stage, a line for limo rides on the way to the packed dance hall thumping with music on the even bigger stage in the main sanctuary, and photo opps with The Mandelorian, The Child, and R2-D2 to name a few of the characters who looked like they stepped right out of Disney+ to take the evening to the next level.
The party was one of over 800 worldwide happening all on the same night. The four spotlights circling the night sky to let attendees know they had arrived set the tone for the level of celebration to come. A red carpet welcomed them at the door.
Devine soaked it all up, hamming it up for the photo booth run by Julie Beiswanger, of Valparaiso. “Give me some sass, girl!” Beiswanger directed. Devine complied, readily snapping her fingers and strutting her stuff.
“Look at that!” Beiswanger cheered. “I’m having a blast!” Then Devine bounced over to Cortes, her friend since they were age 1, and gave her a hug as the quieter girl in sky blue sparkling tulle took it all in in her own way.
(Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Also rocking purple sequins and lots of tulle, 25-year-old Stana Davis, of Valparaiso, had just finished singing Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” on the karaoke stage. Her mom, Betsy Kirby, said her daughter has been coming to Night to Shine since she was 18. “I will tell you as soon as today is over, she’s going to be calling the church to ask if she can sign up for next year,” she said.
Davis knows she’ll be treated like a queen, after all. Guests are literally referred to as kings and queens, the men given crowns and boutonnieres, and the women tiaras and wrist corsages.
“There’s been some trial and error,” said Pastor Eric Wood. “We’ve just learned over the years how to move things around and maximize space. The guests expect it to be very similar to the year before.”
The guests aren’t the only beneficiaries. Several area businesses and about 100 volunteers, as young as sixth grade, make it all happen. “We want it to be a gift to the community, as a way for people to serve,” he said. The sixth graders are “really good on the red carpet, bringing the energy.”
It’s working for 27-year-old Paige Kien, of Lowell, and her large group of friends. “This has been a huge tradition,” she said. “We discovered this in 2020. We decided, ‘You know what? Let’s keep it going.’”
“They have a huge group of friends. They’re meeting the rest of them inside,” said Dana Duvall, of Winfield, who was a buddy to 22-year-old Paul Mitchell and Sam Hofmann, of Lowell. It was Duvall’s first time volunteering at the event. “This group that I’m with, they care about each other and they’re having a blast.”
“I think so far it’s amazing for all of us,” Mitchell agreed.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
