COLUMBUS - One of Columbus' most uplifting events of 2019 will be returning in 2020, and donations are now being accepted to help put it together.

Night to Shine is a nationwide prom night for individuals with special needs sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Columbus hosted a Night to Shine for the first time in 2019, and organizer Amber Stary says it was an amazing experience.

"It was so worth it, even with all the stress building up to it, I would do it one million times over again," Stary said. "To know that we could do something for certain people in our community that really needed it, we said we're going to keep this up, we just have to."

A parent of a 2019 Night to Shine guest had this to say about the event:

"To see these young adults dressed in their best gowns and tuxes, hair and nails done, and having the time of their lives was something to behold. No judgment, just unabashed and whole-hearted fun. To sit back and take it all in was breathtaking and brought tears to this mom's eyes."

Night to Shine will be returning to Columbus on February 7th, 2020 at the 1-C Church. Stary says while this year has been less stressful as far as planning the event is concerned, donations are still needed from the Columbus community to help put it together.

"A lot of the same people that were on-board as businesses last year are also on-board this year, but we still need all of the donations we can get," Stary said. "Night to Shine is put on strictly by donations, and if we don't have those donations we can't have the event, so we need donations from our community."

To help with the fundraising process, Night to Shine organizers will be hosting a pancake breakfast this Sunday at the 1-C Church from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM. The cost is $8/person with children five and under eating free, as all proceeds from the event will go towards Night to Shine.

Donations can also be sent to 1560 40th Avenue addressed to 1C Night to Shine, and anyone with questions on how to help through volunteering or submitting donations con contact Amber Stary at 402-910-2757.