Tim Tebow Counts Down to Night to Shine’s 10th Anniversary: ‘Know They’re Loved’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Tim Tebow’s annual global event, Night to Shine, takes place on Feb. 9, and the former NFL star can hardly wait.
On Jan. 31, he said on Instagram, “We are just 10 days away from the 10th anniversary of Night to Shine! It’s hard to pick 10 moments to share with y’all, but here’s a few to bring you some joy as we countdown to Feb 9.”
He shared clips from past Night to Shine events: a video of a joyful teenager getting crowned with a tiara, a boy entering a red carpet lined with people clapping for him and reels and photos of honored guests with Tebow and his wife, Demi.
“My hope and prayer for this year, as it is every year, is for every person with special needs to be celebrated, to know they’re loved, and to know their true identity as a child of God,” he said.
Hosted by charities and churches, the Night to Shine event will take place all over the world on Friday, Feb. 9. Per the Tim Tebow Foundation, it “is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs ages 14 and older.”
“Will you join me in praying over our honored guests, their families, and our incredible host churches?” Tebow asked his Instagram followers. “As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Night to Shine, I don’t want us to stop now. It’s great to celebrate and reflect on the mighty ways God has moved, but our job isn’t done until all are celebrated, until all are loved, and until all know their true identity as God’s royalty.”
Tebow thanked his supporters for helping make the night possible.
“Thank you for believing in us and, more importantly, for believing in the people we serve together. I hope you know how deeply grateful we are for your willingness to join us to reach these precious lives this year and, Lord willing, many years to come!” the former NFL star said.
Movieguide® previously reported actor Micah Fowler’s praise for Night to Shine:
Fowler recently attended the “Night to Shine,” a foundation created by Tebow that allows children with special needs to attend prom. Fowler plays a character who has cerebral palsy on the show SPEECHLESS.
Fowler said: “Our differences should be celebrated and this is one night that I know for sure I and my disability will be cherished and celebrated for exactly who I am and who I was made to be.”
That is exactly the goal Tebow wanted to achieve when he established the “Night to Shine.”
On Saturday, the Tim Tebow Foundation shared Tebow’s prayer for Night to Shine: that people would see those with disabilities how God does—”as fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Tebow said his prayer is to “rally an army of people that would stand on the line, in the gap, fighting with love and value and worth and dignity for humanity. And that we would be in the gap between the evil that has taken place for so many image bearers of God.”
He continued, “and that through Night to Shine, cities and nations and a group of individuals that some would estimate is about 16% of the world’s population would go from being viewed in so many people’s eyes as ‘less than’ to truly being valued as image bearers, as royalty, as fearfully and wonderfully made.”