The lights were shining brightly at the Calvary Chapel – Salt Lake City in Murray, Utah on February 8 for A Night to Shine event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The evening’s specials guests were greeted by a red carpet, limos, crowns, and all the glamour of the Oscars. The volunteer list included 17 students from the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) who volunteered at the event to help make the evening as special as possible for the guests in attendance. In addition to the Utah event, there were a total 24 countries involved, 100,000 honored guests, 200,000 volunteers, 655 locations for one unforgettable prom experienced around the world.
A Night to Shine was created by the Tim Tebow Foundation to provide people with special needs a memorable prom experience. RMUoHP students helped ensure that the guests at the event had just that – an unforgettable night full of fun and dancing. RMUoHP students managed various amenities, including guest registration and check out, entertainment rooms (photo booth and karaoke room), and coat check. Most importantly, these students paired guests with buddies to accompany them through the event, determining the guest’s needed level of assistance, and often served as buddies themselves. In particular, RMUoHP students accompanied individuals who had special needs, such as epilepsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, were nonverbal, or needed American Sign Language support. Each one of the guests was also crowned Prom King or Prom Queen.
The Calvary Chapel SLC event included 167 guests accompanied by 92 supporters and 260 volunteers. Whether they stayed on the dance floor, played with reptiles, or sang the night away, the guests at A Night to Shine were treated to an incredibly unique experience that honored them as individuals and celebrated their differences.
Guest blog by MS-SLP students Amylla Sullano & Kevin Gladney.
