Night to Shine prom experience celebrates special needs teens in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Night to Shine prom experience took place Friday night at Warren Baptist Church, celebrating special needs teens with a full prom experience.

The event served 200 honored guests with the help of more than 600 volunteers, according to Brandon Lewis, worship pastor at the church.

“It’s for anyone with special needs, those who are differently abled, but they just get to come and be celebrated,” Lewis said. “They get to come and it’s kind of like a prom. We have a dance that we have and it’s just a time where they have fun.”

Each honored guest was paired with a volunteer buddy who stayed with them throughout the evening. The buddies walked guests through the entire process and served as friends for the night.

“The buddy is a person assigned directly to the honored guest. They stay with them the whole night. They walk them through the whole process. They’re there if they need anything. And they’re just there as a friend throughout the night,” Lewis said.

The event included multiple activities for attendees. Guests received shoe shines, participated in dancing, and had access to makeup and hair services. The experience also featured a red carpet entrance and party bus rides.

“We get to do everything from shoe shine, have dance, they have makeup, hair, red carpet. There’s a party bus that they get to ride on. So all kinds of fun stuff,” Lewis said.

Lewis said his favorite part of the event was the red carpet entrance, where guests walked through doors to find 200 people cheering for them with music playing.

“It’s just being able to get to see people’s face when that door flings open. There’s 200 people screaming for them, music’s pumping, and they just get to walk down and be special,” Lewis said.

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