Featuring Student Journalists
Night To Shine at Jacksonville Chapel By : Jack Harlow
On February 10th , a group of local volunteers came together at Jacksonville Chapel to attend the Night to Shine event , in order to help facilitate a prom for people living with special needs .
Night to Shine is an event globally sponsored by Hall of Fame football player Tim Tebow , which allows people of all ages living with special needs to experience a prom night . At Jacksonville Chapel , the Night to Shine event had many activities , such as a raffle , dance party , game rooms , and even a red carpet . All volunteers were given a Chick-fil-A meal to eat at the event , which ran from 6 pm to 10 pm .
A group of teens volunteered on the cooking team , where their job was to serve food to all the guests and prepare the food . Eighteen-year-old John Vanaria was interviewed about his experience .
Reporter : “ How was your experience at Night to Shine ?” John : “ Well , I thought it was an amazing night for the people . They seemed to love it , and I can say they had a lot of fun . You could tell it meant so much to them . I also had a good time with my buddies .”
Reporter : “ What was your job , and how did you contribute ?” John : “ I was on the cooking team , and , um , I would bring out trays and give them to the servers , and then repeat the process .”
Reporter : “ Did you have any troubles in doing so ?” John : “ Yes , uh , it was all moving so fast , and I had to be quick . Also , some people I was supposed to give food to already got food , so I had to find the tables with no food on my own . But in the end , it all worked out .”
Reporter : “ Okay , John , lastly , how did Jacksonville Chapel make this a ‘ Night to Shine ’?” John : “ I think the preparation the church took was really good . They took a lot of time to set up , and it was all worth it in the end . All volunteers were respectful and worked hard .”
Reportedly , many of the volunteers stayed after the event to help move all the chairs and clean up the whole place . Night to Shine was held all across the globe , hoping to give people an amazing night they can ’ t experience elsewhere . Here , you have Night to Shine at Jacksonville Chapel , seen first .
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