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Cheers. flashing camera. words of encouragement. red carpet experience.
These are moments that people with special needs rarely get to enjoy, but they can now experience them through the Tim Tebow Foundation’s annual Night to Shine event. The night is designed to provide a prom experience centered on God’s love for those with special needs.
Friday night was my first time speaking at a Night to Shine event, and I was totally amazed to see the night unfold at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. This is not how a night out on the town is usually done for those with special needs.
A night out is often accompanied by stares, nervousness, and rude comments from passers-by at restaurants and shops.
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I am all too familiar with those rude comments and stares. I have special needs too. I was born without one arm. Everyday tasks such as writing, eating, driving, and using a cell phone are done on your feet. But when I step into the world, I always get negative attention wherever I go.
People are asking all sorts of questions about how I accomplish tasks with my legs. Others try to surreptitiously take pictures with my cell phone while I’m eating at a restaurant or paying for groceries at a store.
This is not an uncommon experience for those with special needs. People in wheelchairs are familiar with the stares they draw as they move from aisle to aisle at their local Walmart. There are people with special needs who have loud, unexpected vocalizations that are met with shocked facial expressions and offensive comments. , it is also not a new development.
Four years ago there was a wave of Democrats calling for babies with disabilities to be aborted for any reason, from conception to birth and even after birth. There are many in our culture who see children with disabilities as inconvenient and incapable of leading a fulfilling life. jump to.
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I know the logic very well. When I was born a non-breathing, armless baby, doctors asked my dad, “Do you want him to go?” That question raised the question, “Why do you care about his armless life?” It wasn’t the last moment of opposition I faced regarding disability.
The North Carolina public school system did not allow me to attend school outside of special education classes because they were convinced I would not keep up with other students. He didn’t want me to take driving training because I was convinced I couldn’t be a safe driver while I was driving.
A delivery room doctor and local government convict, I earned a high school diploma with honors, two Bachelor of Arts degrees, 16 years of marriage, two wonderful children and I have lived one life. live to the fullest.
My skeptics and detractors have done everything in their power to deprive me of a full life, even from the moment of my birth. It wouldn’t have been a problem.That’s why we must continue to advocate for life in the womb, even in the post-Dobbs world.
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In the world of pro-life, there is a popular phrase that declares, “All life has value from womb to grave.” Our voting method goes a long way toward ensuring that lives are preserved, both in utero and through euthanasia at the end of life. Political action helps ensure the sanctity of human life both at the beginning and end of life, but it is not the sum total of what it means to fully support life.
The pro-life ethic is fully realized when everyone has an opportunity in life while being able to thrive in it. It is an ethic that is not much different from when we asked for “the pursuit of happiness.”
What we see in Night to Shine is a dynamic work that practices the “and” of the bioadvocacy ethic in the womb-to-grave concept. At a time when the world is questioning the value of special needs lives, Night to Shine helps people with special needs learn how they can value God, their parents, and their own lives. It positively shows that you are loved by many people who understand you. In a world that tries to take away so much from people with special needs, there is a desperate need for us to talk about the value and love of their lives.
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Night to Shine gets it right on so many levels. These people with special needs are just that – incredibly special in the eyes of God and ours. They need to feel safe and comfortable when they go out of the house, not only on nights like this, but on other nights. As a culture, we must make progress so that people with special needs can feel valued and loved more than just overnight.
We have an amazing opportunity to protect and love these lives. Here’s your chance to see these amazing people shine. Give someone with special needs a chance to shine for a night or even just a moment.
Click here to read more about Daniel Richie