Friday night Feb. 13, Community Culture Church was transformed into something extraordinary. Purple draping cascaded from the ceiling. Gold accents shimmered beneath soft lights. Guests first gathered at the Community Center, where they were paired with their buddies for the evening. Corsages were pinned and partners stepped together into waiting limousines for the short ride to the church. Red carpet, donated by Murray Carpe t , stretched toward the ent rance as volunt eers lined the walkway with cheers and applause.

It looked like prom night — because in many ways, it was.

But this was more than a dance. It was Eufaula’s seventh year hosting Night to Shine, a worldwide celebration sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Held each year on the Friday night before Valentine’s Day, Night to Shine takes place across all 50 states and in 79 countries, partnering with 979 host churches around the world. The event created a promlike experience centered on honoring and celebrating individuals with special needs, reminding them, and reminding us, that they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.

What began in 2015 has grown into a global movement that unites communities across continents for one extraordinary evening. On that Friday night each year, thousands of honored guests walk red carpets, are crowned kings and queens, and are celebrated not for achievement, but simply for who they are.

Last Friday, Eufaula joined that worldwide movement once again.

Guests arrived dressed in formal attire, some in sparkling gowns, others in pressed jackets and polished shoes. Hair and makeup teams added final touches. Every detail, from candlelit tables to glowing “SHINE” letters, reflected months of preparation.

“I pour everything I have into it,” said event coordinator Junie McKinney. “It takes about eight months of planning for that one night. But seeing the love on their faces — it makes it worthwhile.”

Most of the honored guests traveled from three shared group homes in surrounding communities, including Weleetka, Wetumka, and Checotah. In those homes, residents lived together year-round, sharing daily routines, meals, activities, and deep friendships under the care of house managers. Many had attended Night to Shine in Eufaula for several years, arriving not as strangers but as a familiar community.

Most communicated with few words, yet their bond was unmistakable — revealed in smiles, fist bumps, steady eye contact, and a quiet, unspoken understanding that needed no translation.

What some may call “special needs” were revealed instead as special abilities — gifts of joy, authenticity, gratitude, and connection that often outshone everything else in the room. By the end of the night, it was difficult to tell who had come to serve and who had come to be served.

Pastor Jeff, who has helped lead the church’s outreach efforts, said the heart behind the evening goes beyond a single event.

“Night to Shine celebrates that every person is made in God’s image and worthy of honor and love,” Pastor Jeff said. “And while the night is for our guests, their joy ends up deeply impacting every volunteer who serves.”

Inside Community Culture Church, the evening unfolded in full celebration. Dinner was provided through the generosity of Chick-fil-A McAlester and local chef Matthew Gully, with food donated by Sysco and beverages supplied by Love Bottling of Muskogee, ensuring that everyone in attendance was cared for and included. Guests and volunteers shared the meal together before karaoke microphones passed from hand to hand and cell phone lights rose above the dance floor like stars scattered across a dark sky. Laughter echoed beneath the purpledraped ceiling, warm and unrestrained.

“It’s a feeling that you just don’t know and cannot understand until you’re a part of it,” McKinney said. “It’s lifechanging every year.”

At 8 p.m., the music softened for the crowning ceremony. One by one, each honored guest received a crown or tiara. There was no single king or queen. Everyone was crowned.

“God sees us as queens and kings all the time,” Pastor Jeff said.

More than 200 volunteers made the evening possible, making Night to Shine the largest volunteer-driven event in our city. They came from different churches, different backgrounds, and different walks of life.

“This is the largest volunteer event in the whole city — over 200 volunteers from different churches and different walks of life,” Pastor Jeff said. “In a time of division, this is unity.”

We have every reason to be proud.

In a town where we know one another by name, the night proved that compassion runs deep. Churches worked side by side. Volunteers of all ages showed up. Chick-fil-A McAlester, Chef Matthew Gully, Sysco, and Love Bottling of Muskogee ensured that food and beverages were provided for everyone in attendance, so that no one gathered there went without. These were not grand gestures made for recognition, but quiet acts of generosity that helped turn months of planning into a shared celebration.

The red carpet was not simply rolled out for honored guests, it was rolled out by a community choosing to stand together in support of individuals whose abilities and gifts are too often overlooked.

That thread of unity was woven through every smile, every cheer, and every crown placed gently on a bowed head.

Unity was visible everywhere. Volunteers knelt to speak eye-to-eye with guests. Friends reunited across the dance floor. The windows of the church were decorated, and shimmering strands of gold framed words of encouragement — reminders that the celebration extended beyond the dance floor and into every corner of the space.

For many in that room, nights like this are rare. The applause seemed to carry a little more weight.

For one mother, the meaning of the evening stretches far beyond a single Friday night.

“It has truly become his most favorite night of the year,” she said. “He talks about it more than Thanksgiving and Christmas — and he loves those holidays. When he gets a new calendar for Christmas, it’s one of the first things he wants to write in.”

That kind of anticipation cannot be staged. It grows from feeling seen. It grows from belonging.

As the music softened and the final dances came to an end, crowns tilted slightly from a night of celebration and laughter lingered in the air. Volunteers walked guests to waiting vehicles. Friends paused for one last photograph. The red carpet, so lively just hours before, grew quiet again.

But the glow remained.

The glow came from more than decorations and stage lights. The light that shone brightest that night was the light that connects us and reminds us that we belong to one another.