As the more than 200 honored guests made their way down the red carpet Friday night, it was hard to tell who had the biggest smiles 鈥 the guests or the volunteers who were there to cheer them on.
Yumi Shelder receives her queen's tiara Friday night at Shine, the annual prom for exceptional children and adults held at The Rock Church in Conway.
The occasion was the annual Shine prom at The Rock Church in Conway that marks a special evening for folks young and older with special needs.聽
Each guest was given the star treatment with their names announced as they made their way down a red carpet into the festivities. Dozens of volunteers lined the carpet and cheered loudly as each guest passed by.
Amie Smith of Marion gets her makeup done by a volunteer at the annual Shine event held at The Rock Church in Conway Friday night.
Two of the volunteers, Erik and Chasey Noel, said it was their second time volunteering for the event and they didn鈥檛 plan to miss one in the future.
鈥淭his is amazing,鈥 Erik Noel said. 鈥淭he glow on their faces coming down the red carpet is incredible.鈥
Amanda Collins of Aynor looks forward to attending Shine every year in order to have her hair done by volunteer Charity Carroll of Conway.
Chasey added that seeing how excited the participants were made it all worthwhile.
Entering the church, the guests were greeted by a host of costumed characters. Then the attendees were crowned as a king or queen by a bevy of local beauty queens. From there, they were met by a 鈥渂uddy鈥 who accompanied them throughout the evening.
Every gentleman attending Shine at the Rock Church Friday night became King of the Prom, receiving their crown from a local pageant Queen or Princess.
Local businesses donated a wide variety of food for the kings and queens and a DJ kept the music hopping and the dance floor full all evening.
Every guest at the Shine prom Friday night received a special swag bag filled with small gifts.
Josh Finklea, pastor of The Rock, said there were just over 200 guests from Horry and Georgetown counties registered for this year鈥檚 event.
鈥淲e have kings and queens from the age of 12 to 73,鈥 Finklea said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 really amazing is the number of volunteers we have for the event. There are over 600 volunteers who help us put this on with 200 of them being athletes from every sport at Coastal Carolina.鈥
Guests arrived by the busload for the annual Shine prom event at The Rock in Conway Friday night.
Once the kings and queens met their buddies for the night, their parents were treated to an evening of food and entertainment at the church鈥檚 coffee shop. All the action from the dance floor next door was live-streamed to large TVs for the parents to watch.
鈥淲e want the parents to know their individuals are safe here and they can relax for a couple of hours,鈥 Finklea said.
Guests at the annual Shine event in Conway were pampered in every way possible Friday evening. Here Hannah McCoy has her nails painted by a community volunteer.
Lance Thompson said his daughter Savannah, 27, has been looking forward to the prom for weeks.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 all she鈥檚 talked about,鈥 he said.
Love was in the air for Charlie Hobson and his fiance' Lilly Brunda, both of Myrtle Beach, at the Shine event at the Rock Church in Conway Friday night.聽
Kevin Robinson from Longs said Shine was more than just a dance for folks like his son Jeff, 40.
鈥淭his is amazing what they do here,鈥 Robinson said. 鈥淭he kids love it. This is important in their lives since sometimes they get overlooked.鈥
All the guests at the Shine event Friday night took a stroll down the red carpet while greeted by adoring fans.聽
Robinson said he was grateful for the warm welcome the people at the Rock gave his family.
鈥淚 hope the people putting this on feel the grace of God that we feel,鈥 he said.
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