- A 'Prom Boutique' for Tallahassee's Night to Shine guests needs the community to donate new or gently worn prom attire.
- A ministry in Sopchoppy is already pitching in with dresses and suits.
- Watch the video to learn how you can help the special needs community dress to impress on their big night.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Now that Night to Shine Tallahassee is back on, our special needs community needs your help so they can dress to impress! I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Northeast Tallahassee neighborhood. Organizers are collecting every prom attire item you can think of. One group in Sopchoppy is already doing its part to pitch in!
In less than a month, hundreds upon hundreds of special needs adults and their buddies will hit the dance floor at Immanuel Baptist Church for Night to Shine 2025.
Vickie Bass, Prom Boutique Coordinator - "And what we are doing is providing all of the attire that is needed by our prom guests."
Dresses, suits, shoes and accessories — the church's goal is to turn this small clothing rack into a full-on 'Prom Boutique' for Night to Shine guests to pick outfits from for free!
Bass - "We need all the donations from the community and the surrounding communities that we can get to make this the perfect opportunity for these Night to Shine guests."
Speaking of surrounding communities..
Judy Brown, Sopchoppy United Methodist Church - "I saw the need, so I stepped up."
Judy Brown with Sopchoppy United Methodist Church stepped up without hesitation.
She runs a ministry called 'A Night to Remember,' which dedicates itself to providing all kinds of formal attire to neighbors in Wakulla County who might need them.
When she heard about Night to Shine..
Brown - "I was excited that maybe we could help them out by providing gowns to some of those people that are going to be coming."
With an inventory of more than 400 dresses and 20 suits, Brown says she's going to pack her car with as many items it can fit to donate to the Prom Boutique.
Bass - "Anytime you're getting ready for prom, you know, it's been a long time, but I remember back in my day how fun for my daughter it was.."
Brown - "Oh, absolutely, that's the exciting part— looking at the dress, seeing the sparkles on the dress, or whatever the dress is made up of, your favorite color, or what have you."
Community donations like the hefty one incoming from Sopchoppy will help give these special needs adults that full prom experience they deserve.
"You're quite a ways from Tallahassee.."
Brown - "It's nothing. That's nothing for me to go into Tallahassee and bring some joy to other people. You know, the time and the gas and the mileage — it doesn't really matter. That's part of my gift too, is just to be able to provide that for other people."
You can drop off new or gently worn donations at Immanuel Baptist Church until Friday, January 17th.
Their Prom Boutique will open its doors to Night to Shine guests on Saturday, January 18th from 3-7 PM.
In Northeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27.
