A Mother’s Perspective: Parkview Church Delivers VIP Experience at Inaugural Night To Shine

PALM COAST, Fla. – Under a canopy of twinkling lights and cascading balloons at Parkview Church, Sue Reese watched her daughter Sarah step onto the red carpet — and felt her heart overflow.

“This is the second time we’ve gone to Night to Shine. We went last year to Tomoka. Oh my gosh, it was lovely,” said Sue.

“Night to Shine is a complimentary event for people with special needs hosted by local churches around the world. The event is open to anyone living with disabilities, ages 14 and older,” according to the Tim Tebow Foundation.

From the moment they arrived, Sue said the evening felt extraordinary.

“We came in as a participant — or an honored guest. They call them honored guests. It was seamless. We walked in, they were there. The red carpet was there. You were assigned a buddy. My daughter was assigned a buddy. She immediately took her under her wings.”

That buddy whisked Sarah into a full VIP experience.

“We went into the hair and nail salon area. Oh yes. They have people who are professionals,” Sue said. “Sarah, I gave her some makeup and they kind of booed her up a little bit more, and then she had her nails done.”

Each detail made the night feel magical — from corsages and boutonnieres to professional photos and a limousine ride.

“You could sign up to be part of the red carpet, where you would go out into the back area, get into the limousine, and they would ride you around, and then you come around to the front of the church, and then you were introduced on the red carpet,” Sue said. “There were cheerleaders on the sides and people were welcoming them in.”

Inside, the celebration continued with food tailored to every need.

“There was gluten-free food for those people who have gluten-free or dairy-free. They had food there, a drink area, dessert area — just a plethora of all kinds of things for them to eat.”

Then came the dancing and karaoke — where the honored guests truly took center stage.

“Oh yes, you could, as an honored guest, get up there and sing till your heart’s desire. On stage. Oh yeah, on stage. It was lovely. Absolutely lovely.”

Sue laughed remembering one particularly loud song choice, but what stood out most was the joy radiating from every face.

“They could not have smiled bigger. They were just, ‘This is great. Oh my gosh.’”

Sarah was no exception.

“Oh, Sarah absolutely loved it,” Sue said.

Sue wasn’t just Sarah’s mom that night — she was also there as support for five individuals from her church who attended.

“I was their emergency contact in the building,” she said. “If any of them had crashed and said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ I was the phone call. But it was great though. And they sang and they danced. They had dessert, they ate, and ate, and ate.”

While the honored guests celebrated, parents and caregivers were also treated with care.

“There was a whole separate room for the parents and caregivers. They played bingo. They had nice prizes. One of my friends won a crock pot. It was super. They had special dinner — gluten-free, specific meals. Parkview is amazing. It absolutely is. They did a wonderful job.”

For Sue, the evening was more than just an event — it was a gift.

“It couldn’t have been better,” she said. “For the first year ever doing it — perfection. Totally on point.”

And as she watched Sarah walk the red carpet, nails polished, corsage on her wrist, surrounded by friends and cheers, Sue saw something every mother hopes to see — pure, unfiltered joy.

“It was lovely,” she said again softly. “Absolutely lovely.”