By Evie Breitbach
Since 2014, churches and organizations across the country have partnered with the Tim Tebow Foundation to create a glamorous night out for members of the disabled community.
This year, St. Ambrose had the honor of hosting Night to Shine, an evening of dinner, dancing, and more, on campus in the Rogalski Center.
According to Chris Pries, 2025 Iowa Night to Shine Coordinator, “Individuals who are differently abled have an opportunity to have a wonderful party and the recognition that many of us get at our high school proms, or college dances, and a lot of them don’t get to have the same opportunities we have. It’s just a wonderful opportunity for individuals to see folks who are called special needs, and to see they’re just like we are.”
Student volunteers shared the sentiment.
I love to volunteer,” sophomore Keeli Frerichs says. It’s just so amazing to see all of God’s children here in one spot and just to see the bright smiles on their faces. It really is just a feel good event for them, and it’s just a feel good event for all the volunteers as well, to be the reason why they’re here smiling.
Nariah Einfeldt, a junior, felt the most important part of the evening was the opportunity to give a marginalized group of people a moment to shine.
“We give them the freedom and the warmth and just being able to do things,” Einfeldt says. “Just being able to have support and be able to do whatever they want to accomplish.”
