Once Upon a Time at Our Night to Shine

Once Upon a Time at Our Night to Shine

Lisa Patrick

The Ashland Beacon

For some, prom is a rite of passage, a huge part of high school life where teenagers get to dress up, be glamorous, dance, and have fun. For others, it’s a frustrating reminder of how different they are from their peers—a night where they watch others do what they would love to be able to do themselves. This is the life that teenagers with special needs tend to live. But the I Believe Foundation helped change that by creating the annual Our Night to Shine Prom—the only special needs prom in this area that is strictly for high school-age attendees.

May 9 marked the 11th annual Our Night to Shine Special Needs Prom, brought to the tri-state area by the I Believe Foundation. This year’s theme was “Once Upon a Time,” and it was reflected everywhere. From the moment attendees walked in with their escorts through the sword arch on the way to their tables, they were surrounded by fairy-tale decorations. They got to make a wish in the wishing well and were then seated at tables decorated with fairy-tale “books” and lanterns featuring silhouettes of popular characters from different stories.

When they first arrived, attendees had their photos taken by KayMag Photography. KayMag provides these photos free of charge for prom attendees and their escorts. After being announced into the prom and seated, they were served dinner and dessert at their tables. Then came the fun part: the dancing.

Almost everyone immediately hit the dance floor and stayed there until it was time to leave, except for quick trips to the photo booth for silly pictures that were also given to them free of charge immediately after they were taken.

Rebecca Newman, 18, from Winchester, Kentucky, had never been to a dance before. As a little person with epilepsy, her school had barred her from attending regular dances because she was considered a liability. Her mom saw the I Believe Foundation’s post on Facebook about the Our Night to Shine Prom, and her dad cried when he found out she was finally going to be able to attend. Normally, each attendee is assigned one or two escorts to help keep them safe and entertained. Rebecca was assigned four. The idea was to “build a wall” around her. Her dad brought her to the dance and left with the rest of the parents. He said he wanted to give her the same experience her sisters had when they attended dances and he simply dropped them off. He stated that “she was glad that she got the opportunity to be a part of it” because “she loves music, she loves dancing, and she loves being in a crowd of people.”

Rebecca’s favorite part of the night was when a slow song came on and one of her escorts would pick her up and dance with her. She looks forward to coming back next year.