{"id":9888,"date":"2023-03-08T09:51:20","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T14:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=9888"},"modified":"2023-03-08T09:53:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T14:53:00","slug":"tim-tebows-a-night-to-shine-highlights-the-special-needs-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2023\/03\/tim-tebows-a-night-to-shine-highlights-the-special-needs-community.html","title":{"rendered":"Tim Tebow’s A Night to Shine Highlights the Special Needs Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The flashing cameras, cheers, red carpet experience and encouraging words are the moments that people with special needs rarely get the opportunity to enjoy. However, they get to experience these moments thanks to the Tim Tebow Foundation\u2019s annual Night to Shine event, an evening designed to provide a prom experience focused on God\u2019s love for those with special needs.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event unfolded<\/a> at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, and it wasn\u2019t how a night on the town would usually go for someone with special needs. For them, a night out can typically come with tension, stares, and rude comments from passers-by at a store or restaurant. They\u2019re seen as a nuisance, not a valuable person.<\/p>\n

Some people know those stares and rude comments all too well. For example, Daniel Ritchie, an author from North Carolina who spoke at this year\u2019s event, was born without his arms. However, he can still accomplish routine tasks like eating, driving, writing, and using his phone, all with his feet. Still, he attracts negative attention when he goes out into the world.<\/p>\n

People usually have questions about how he accomplishes these tasks with his feet. Some tell him he\u2019s weird or gross to his face, while others try to take pictures of him sneakily, which isn\u2019t new for people with special needs. People in wheelchairs are familiar with the stares as they browse their local Walmart. Some with special needs have loud, unexpected vocalizations that are met with offensive comments and shocked expressions. The world doesn\u2019t understand or see the worth of those with special needs.<\/p>\n

However, events like Night to Shine show people with special needs that their life matters. When the world tries to cast doubt on the value of special needs lives, Night to Shine tells people with special needs that their parents and God love them, and so many people see the value and preciousness of their lives. We should speak love and value over their lives in a world that tries to take from people with special needs.<\/p>\n