Listen Here
By Lucille Snoke, SnokeL@Findlay.edu
On the Friday before Valentine’s Day each year, churches around the globe open their doors for an event like no other — Night to Shine. This is a night for special needs members of the community or as the Night to Shine team calls them, honored.
As Night to Shine grows, so does the need for volunteers, especially students. The team is actively recruiting student “buddies,” hoping to match college age students with an honored guest similar in age.
For Beth Yoder and the core leadership team for Night to Shine in Findlay Ohio, it’s far more than just a party. It’s a mission.
“It’s a powerful thing when students step up to serve,” Yoder said. “They think they’re just helping someone have a fun night, but what they walk away with, it changes them.”
Founded by the Tim Tebow Foundation in 2014, Night to Shine now spans across 50 states and 56 countries, with over 720 host churches and more than 500,000 honored guests each year.
In Findlay, Ohio, the event has grown steadily since its debut in 2022. This upcoming year marks the fourth year Yoder and her team host Night to Shine.
“Next year we are moving venues simply because we have outgrown the church,” Yoder said.
Yoder hopes the University football team and others will help her team in setting up and tearing down at the new venue next year.
Debbie Dubocq has volunteered for “Night to Shine” for four years.
“I think the hardest part for people who have never volunteered is taking that first step,” Dubocq said.
Students can sign up through the Night to Shine Findlay Facebook page. All volunteers must undergo a background check which is fully paid for by local donors and will receive a full meal the night of the event.
“For one night, we get to show each honored guest just how much they’re loved,” Yoder said.
With support from the local community, including Marathon, Walmart, and generous individuals from the trucking industry, as well as local catering and food businesses including but not limited to Lee’s chicken and Heavenly Pizza.
“This wouldn’t happen without the community,” Yoder said. “From local churches to hair stylists, to pizza shops. It takes everyone.”
Each honored guest arrives to red carpet treatment. Volunteers pose as paparazzi, cheer, and hold signs as each guest walks down a roped-off runway, their name announced by a DJ.
“It’s a moment you never forget,” Yoder shared.
Even before the red carpet, each honored guest receives hair and makeup services from retired and volunteer stylists of the “Sparkle Committee”, a boutonnière or corsage all handmade by a church member, a catered meal, and the chance to sing their heart out in karaoke.
“They love karaoke. The lady who runs the karaoke, she even sings with them,” Yoder said. “It is such a hit that we are going to have to make two different karaoke stations next year.”
For those needing a break from the excitement, a calming sensory room is available. Filled with coloring books, and soft lighting, this is a place where guests can go to rest if need be.
“We want every honored guest to feel safe and celebrated,” Yoder said. “The people behind this are incredible. I have never seen so many people so passionate about what they do all in one place.”
Dubocq says every volunteer experiences small, meaningful moments throughout the night that resonate with them; that’s why she continues to volunteer.
Yoder recalled an online meeting where Tim Tebow, spoke to volunteers after all the event(s) were over.
“By the end of the event, I don’t even want them to know my name,” Tebow said. “I just want them to remember how loved they felt.”
