On February 8th we hosted our second annual Night to Shine Hays sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation at Celebration Community Church. We had another very successful event this year. For those of you who don’t know, Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for individuals with special needs ages 14 and older.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: See the Hays Post news story about Night to Shine Hays.)

This year our 140 guests (Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) were served by more than 400 volunteers…. THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID 400 VOLUNTEERS and over 30 businesses/sponsors who contributed goods, services or financial assistance. All together with guests, parents/caretakers/staff, and volunteers we had around 700-750 people in attendance at Night to Shine Hays 2019 from all over Northwest Kansas. In our inaugural year (2018) we had approximately 550 people in attendance with 25 businesses/sponsors. That’s a growth of almost one-third in our second year and it was truly made possible by our community support and involvement.

I speak for our whole Night to Shine Hays Coordination Team when I say, we have been blown away by the response from our community. This unforgettable night is about serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and showing them God’s love. It’s also about pampering them, loving them and giving them the opportunity to shine with the whole community.

On behalf of our Night to Shine Hays Coordination Team, THANK YOU! We are very appreciative of your generosity and willingness to come together to serve a wonderful community of people. Whether you gave financially, provided a service from your business, gave your time to volunteer or were a part of any other area to make this night possible, THANK YOU! We look forward to working with each and every one of you in future years!

Brent Kaiser
Programs and Activities Director
The Arc of Central Plains

Night to Shine Hays Coordination Team Members:
Drew Gannon
Grace Buessing
John Egan
Haley Nixon
Peri Lang
Katelyn Unruh
Brent Kaiser