photo by: Contributed photo

A participant in River City Church's "Night to Shine" event smiles as she is driven through a festival that aimed to honor the special needs community of the Douglas County area. Those who participated were provided with crowns and tiaras, roses and dinner, among other things.

The lights were shining brightly at a Lawrence church this past weekend as it aimed to honor the special needs population in Douglas County.

Lawrence’s River City Church on Friday held its inaugural “Night to Shine,” which is a prom-like event offered by the Tim Tebow Foundation focused on honoring the “kings and queens” of the special needs community, said Tom Sack, missions and mobilization director for the church.

Sack said the church believes it’s important to honor people with special needs, as they are often overlooked by others in the community.

“We wanted to make sure that we were celebrating them,” Sack said. “We felt the event was an easy way to show people that we love them and care about them.”

photo by: Contributed photo

A sign welcoming the more than 60 guests for River City Church’s “Night to Shine” event is seen in the parking lot of the church on Friday, March 5, 2021.

Churches around the world hold annual Night to Shine events, which normally include a formal dinner and a dance. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first edition of the event in Lawrence used a drive-through festival, Sack said.

The church, which is located at 3001 Lawrence Ave., turned its parking lot into a parade-like operation, where the participants rode through in decorated cars. The participants were provided crowns and tiaras, roses and dinner. They also rode through a 40-foot lighted tunnel and were introduced by David Lawrence of KU’s Jayhawk Radio Network, who said a bit about each participant’s personality and some of their favorite things as they passed by. To top it all off, the participants were sent off with a police and fire truck escort as people cheered them on, Sack said.

photo by: Contributed photo

A participant in River City Church’s “Night to Shine” event is dressed in a flashy suit as he is driven through a festival in the church’s parking lot on Friday, March 5, 2021. The event, which was created by the Tim Tebow Foundation, aimed to honor the “kings and queens” of the special needs community in the Douglas County area.

More than 60 people with special needs — ranging in age from 14 to 76 — participated in the event, and about 20 people volunteered to help, Sack said. Additionally, many local organizations and businesses provided support for the event.

Sack said the first edition of the event in Lawrence had gone well, and he looked forward to continuing it in the future.

“We’ve gotten emails and text messages from a number of volunteers and a large number of guests about how much fun they had,” Sack said. “It was a very fun, very successful event.”

photo by: Contributed photo

A 40-foot lighted tunnel was one of the main attractions for River City Church’s “Night to Shine” event, which provided a prom-like celebration for the special needs community on Friday, March 5, 2021.