Travis Davis knows this to be true: A man in a tux looks sharp, and every girl loves a sharp-dressed man.
That's why he set up a GoFundMe to raise $4,000 to cover tuxedo rentals from Top Hat Formal Wear for 14-to-22-year-olds with special needs who are headed to prom.
And not just any prom.
This is Night to Shine, a winter wonderland of a prom meant to give people with special needs an evening of pampering and partying.
"I was pleased to know that somebody was reaching out to these communities worldwide and getting the word out and bringing to life that these kids are special and get pushed into a corner everyday and don't really get to interact," Davis says. "To have the light shined on them, this is one event that can do that and to have each one treated like a king and queen, it pulls on your heartstrings."
On Friday, Feb. 10, about 375 churches around the country and world will host Night to Shine proms sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. This is the first year the prom has made it to Tucson.
The evening includes a red carpet arrival; hair, makeup and shoe shine stations; limo and carriage rides; corsages and boutonnieres; dinner; karaoke and dancing.
And it's all free.
Christi Cisek instigated Night to Shine in Tucson. Several years ago, a car crash killed her niece, a young woman who loved Valentine's Day.
"It was like her holiday, so I wanted to do something to honor her on Valentine's Day, and since this was a Valentine's prom, I thought this was a neat way to keep her memory alive."
The Napa, California woman developed a reputation for writing messages of love on driveways and sidewalks with chalk. The act of kindness grew into a community movement.
Cisek, one of the owners of Johnny Gibson's Downtown Market, chalked the sidewalk in front of the grocery store and down Congress Street with other employees on Valentine's Day last year.
"My husband, son and I bought 100 boxes of chalk, one for every kid that attends (the prom), and we're going to tell them Julie's story," Cisek says.
They are using the hashtag #Chalkitup4love and encouraging each attendee to "go chalk it up in their neighborhood and send their pictures to the hashtag to keep her alive," she adds.
The organizers of the Tucson edition of Night to Shine hope 100 young people with special needs attend. Other local teens will also come as buddies β built-in dates for the evening. As the night concludes, each attendee will be crowned king or queen of the prom.
"I want them to take away that God has created them perfectly, and even though they may not have all of the things that other kids have, they are perfect in God's eyes and loved," Cisek says. "They are kings and queens in all of our eyes."
Catalina Foothills Church is organizing the evening and Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, 710 S. Kolb Road, is hosting.
Night to Shine joins a number of other area dances that serve the special needs community. Among them: Young Life Tucson Capernaum, which hosted a winter formal at the end of January, Tucson Parks and Recreation's Therapeutic Recreation and Adaptive Aquatics monthly social dance and a series of community dances at the Rancho Sahuarita clubhouse, 15455 S. Camino Lago Azul. The next is also this weekend: Another Valentine's dance 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. Those interested in attending should email sgvfsn@gmail.com.
"I have kids with disabilities, and my kids won't go to (other events) because they're overstimulating with too many lights and too many people, so we take it down quite a bit..." says Jamie Comeau, one of the moms who organizes the Sahuarita dances. "It's trying to make sure these kids and teenagers and adults can do what everyone else is doing, but in a more adaptive environment, and families don't have to worry."
To make Night to Shine happen, about 80 local businesses and organizations have volunteered to donate food, money, formal dresses or time.
"It's a labor of love from everybody in the community," Cisek says.
Stacie Mockbee, one of the Catalina Foothills organizers, has a 19-year-old son with spina bifida. And while Jacob will be attending the prom, he has also been involved in advertising and spreading the word. This is not his first dance.
"He has really been accepted by his peers, and last year he was nominated homecoming king" at Tanque Verde High School, Mockbee says. "For him, it's not so much about getting this experience he has never had before, but being part of something in the community and knowing how many kids do feel left out."
The Tim Tebow Foundation provided the Tucson Night to Shine with an $8,500 grant but the total cost to put the prom on is about double that, Mockbee says.
"I'm wearing the administrator hat and the mom hat," Mockbee says. "It's a powerful message for young people that we love and treasure and celebrate them, but it's important to give that message to families, because so often they are so afraid of their child being forgotten. This is a message saying we see you and we love you."
Get involved:
There are still a few spots left at Night to Shine. Use this link to sign your child up or donate: cfcpca.org/events/event/153/night-to-shine/2017-02-10
You can give specifically to the GoFundMe here: gofundme.com/Tuxedosforboys
The prom is 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10.
