Beautiful was the word at Capital West Christian Church in Jefferson City on Friday as young men in suits and ladies in shiny gowns embarked on their Night to Shine.
Once registered, the "honored guests," about 140 people with special needs from across Mid-Missouri, were paired with a "buddy" for the evening. More than 360 volunteers turned out for the local part of the global event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation and replicated in more than 200 other churches across 48 states and eight countries this weekend.
Peggy was paired with Alice MacNaughton. With excited giggles and an almost continuous parade-style wave, Peggy walked down the hallway of the church with MacNaughton for the pre-dance pampering provided by a flurry of volunteers.
Dressed in a white gown with a red jacket, Peggy sat down for makeup application by Cheryl Wright. Giving a thumbs-up to see herself in the mirror with the added color on her eyelids, cheeks and lips, Peggy's wide smile showed she was just as pleased to see MacNaughton get a little glamour, too.
Wright, volleyball coach with the Special Olympics, saw many familiar faces at the event. The Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department helps provide weekly activities for people with special needs, including a prom-like event every other year, she said.
But the Tim Tebow Foundation event provides so much more than the local group can do, she said - the decorations, meals for caregivers and the pampering extras.
In the next room, the smell of hairspray and hot curling irons filled the air. Peggy selected her tiara - a Tebow foundation requirement so every guest feels like royalty.
Then Lauren Brunk put a little more style to Peggy's simple, short haircut underneath her tiara. And Johanna McKim applied a coat of yellow nail polish.
"Most everybody just wants to feel good, and I'm happy to help," Brunk said.
An occupational therapist, McKim works regularly with people with special needs. When she learned her church would host this event, she said she was "super excited."
"It's an opportunity for them to feel special and important," McKim said.
The guest and buddy pair made one last stop before waiting for their limousine ride to the dance, to finish with a wrist corsage.
At every stop and in between, Peggy was greeted by kind faces complimenting her, one even saying, "You look like a snow princess!"
For MacNaughton, who never attended her own prom, this night was just as exciting for her as it was the honored guest she was there to support.
Not to short-change the men, they had a shoe-shine room and all received gold crowns.
After their limo ride around the west side, they were dropped off at the church's event center, where a red carpet and paparazzi-like entrance awaited them. The rest of the evening they enjoyed on the dance floor or socializing.
"This was better than I had envisioned; we've had an amazing run," said Rick Yoder, pastor of Capital West. "To see the smiles on their faces and the hugs we're getting, it's a complete satisfaction."