Rolling out the red carpet for special needs prom
Rolling out the red carpet
Rolling out the red carpet
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press Steven, left, and Trevor Kirsebom have their shoes shined and tuxedos cleaned before they meet their dates at the Night to Shine prom on Friday at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls.</p>
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press Steven Kirsebom has his tie and collar fitted by Touchdown Tuxedo owner Steve Wasson on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, as he prepares for the next week's Night to Shine prom.</p>
Trevor and Steven Kirsebom have been looking forward to the "Night to Shine" prom for months.
The brothers from Post Falls and their dates, Nikki Cotter and Abbey Waterdown, danced the night away on Friday — along with about 250 other special needs men and women, boys and girls at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls.
The guests were delivered to the entrance in a limo and as they entered the building, volunteers, family and "friendly paparazzi" lined up to applaud and take pictures. More applause and photos came as they made their way down the red carpet into the dance hall.
Night to Shine is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. More than 200 churches in 48 states and around the world held the special needs prom simultaneously. This is the second year Tebow has sponsored the event and he purposely set the date to coincide with Valentine's Day weekend, making the day extra special for thousands of individuals around the world.
Angie Goucher, executive director of Special Needs Recreation in Coeur d'Alene, said the Tim Tebow Foundation started Night to Shine as a way to show God's love to those with special needs.
"They want to give them a night they will never forget and they all will feel like kings and queens for a night," Goucher said.
The Tim Tebow foundation donated $9,000 to Real Life Ministries, which partnered with SNR to help organize the event.
Trevor and Steven have attended proms for more than 10 years, but this was the most extravagant one they ever attended. SNR has held a prom on its own for many years, but with the sponsorship of the Tim Tebow Foundation, a lot more people attended and Goucher said about 250 volunteers helped out as well.
Steve Wasson, owner of Touchdown Tuxedo in Post Falls, said he could not believe how many people were attending the prom. He has helped with SNR proms, and said when they started there were only a few guys, including Trevor and Steven, who would come to him for a tux, but over the years it has grown tremendously.
A week before the dance, the brothers went to see Wasson so they could find the perfect tuxes.
Steven picked out a purple vest and tie with his suit so he would match Abbey's dress, which was a strapless purple gown adorned with sequins. Friday night was the first date for those two, but Trevor and Nikki have been dating and going to dances together for six years.
Trevor needed a simple black and white tux to match Nikki's gown, also strapless and flowing. When he spotted a western style vest and tie, he knew it was the one.
"I look good," Trevor said with a huge smile as he caught sight of himself in a large mirror on a wall in the tuxedo store.
"Nikki will love it," his mother, Deena, told him as he continued to beam at his reflection in the mirror.
As it turned out, the two couples matched perfectly Friday night.
It really was a night to remember as everyone was dressed to the hilt and seemed to genuinely enjoy their Night to Shine.
Pictures were taken and food was eaten, but the party really livened up at 6:30 when the music started with Michael Jackson's, "Beat It." The dance floor filled quickly and by the time the second song played, close to 100 people were already dancing.
"It's fun," Steven said. "But when is Tim Tebow going to be here?"
Tebow said he would appear at some of the venues but did not reveal which ones prior to the prom. Steven and Trevor are fans of many different sports, including football, and hoped to meet the former NFL quarterback. Unfortunately, Tebow did not show up in Post Falls — but there is always next year.