Prom to give special kids star treatment

Denver Broncos Tim Tebow is seen backstage during the inaugural NFL Honors show Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Newman Lowrance)
Denver Broncos Tim Tebow is seen backstage during the inaugural NFL Honors show Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Newman Lowrance)

Volunteers from Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock are working to make Friday a night to remember for some special- needs young adults.

The church's Special Gifts Ministry was selected by the Tim Tebow Foundation to host a Night to Shine Prom, complete with limousine rides, music and dancing. Tebow's nonprofit organization picked 50 sites across the country to host the proms, and the church's ministry to children and adults with special needs seemed a perfect fit.

"It's been such a whirlwind, a wonderful whirlwind," Bekka Wilkerson, director of the Special Gifts Ministry, said about the selection process.

Erik Dellenback, executive director of the foundation, said it "has a heart for people with special needs and to celebrate our five-year anniversary, we wanted to create a brighter day for people with special needs. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience a prom where they feel loved and welcomed, and we pray this event will positively [affect] the lives of thousands of people across the country."

The prom is for special-needs teens and young adults ages 16 and older from the church and the community. Wilkerson said 300 signed up to participate. The foundation specified that each prom should have at least 75 attendees, but Wilkerson was thinking big.

"We are just going to blow it up," she said. "I don't believe in doing things small."

The event will be held at the Center of Bryant at Bishop Park. It will start with a short limousine ride, and those who want the red carpet treatment will be dropped off at the door. Photographers will be there to snap pictures of everyone as they walk inside, where fancy tables will be set up.

"Everybody is so excited about the limos," Wilkerson said. "It's so cool. How many times to you get to step out of a limo onto a red carpet with the paparazzi waiting?"

Each participant will receive a bag of goodies from the foundation.

"The gentlemen will get a crown and the ladies a tiara," Wilkerson said. "We'll have a photo booth and traditional prom pictures, as well."

There will also be a dance floor and a DJ, as well as a movie room and a quiet room for those who tire of the "prom experience" or need a break from the action.

The church will provide prom dresses for the girls, and will offer them makeup and hair styling, as well as shoeshines for the guys. The dresses are coming from Project Prom in Saline County. Wilkerson said several sponsors have stepped in to help and about 200 volunteers have offered to help with the event.

Wilkerson said the goal is to provide a memorable evening for everyone.

"This is a group of people used to being told no -- 'You can't do that, we don't have anything for you,'" she said. "My goal is to tell them yes. Within my power we always try to open that door and say, 'Yes, we can make that happen.' I would love for every church to have a special needs ministry."

The church's Special Gifts Ministry began eight years ago to help those with special needs find their place in the congregation.

"There's not really a great place in church, naturally, to facilitate people with special needs," Wilkerson said.

The term "special needs" encompasses a wide range of conditions, including medical, emotional and learning problems.

Wilkerson said the sometimes loud and boisterous atmosphere in the children's and youth departments can be overwhelming.

"We have to temper it for our special needs kids and teens," she said.

The church offers a classroom for those students and gradually integrates them into the larger church -- if that's what the child and the family want. They also offer a ministry for adults with special needs.

Wilkerson said families with a special needs child often don't go to church or one parent will go while the other stays home to care for the child. Many don't feel welcome in the church.

"They just feel like there's nothing for them," she said. "If the church is going to do its job to take Christ's love into the community, we have to be able to provide that to everybody.

"When you look back through the Bible and you see when Christ was on the earth, you see where his mission was. He wasn't with the high priests or high society. He spent time with people who were not socially accepted. ... These special people have been to a degree demoralized and felt there's not a place for them. The church should be a place where you can go and not feel that way."

The Night to Shine Prom will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday. Volunteers are welcome and can find information online at gsfbc.org/nighttoshine. Information about the Tim Tebow Foundation and the Night to Shine Prom is available at timtebowfoundation.org.

Religion on 02/07/2015

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