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FEBRUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 26, 2019
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TIMES-HERALD
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PHOTO BY JEFFREY CULLEN-DEAN
Newnan City Church will host Grace & Gowns, an event that will give away more than 500 prom dresses to teens who need them. From left are church members Karin DeGroot, Christine Drought, Catherine Rodriguez, Candi Rotemen and Beth Ellison.
Newnan City Church to give away
500 prom dresses BY JEFFREY CULLEN-DEAN
jeffrey@newnan.com More t h a n 5 0 0 f re e prom d re s s e s w i l l be given away by Newnan Cit y Church as a pa r t of its Grace & Gow ns event from Feb. 25-Mar. 2. The event is aimed at girls who would not be able to obta i n a d ress
otherwise. Appointments to pick out a dress can be made online on a first-come, first-served basis. Each appointment is 45 minutes long. Karin DeGroot, a member of the church, said the dresses range from ex tra-sma l l to ex t ra-la rge si zes , a nd there are more than 500
available. “ It d id n’ t lo ok l i ke t hat ma ny unti l we sta r ted to cou nt ,” DeGroot said. T he project bega n at La ndma rk Christ i a n S c h o o l i n 2 0 0 7, but this year the school was unable to store the d re s se s at t he scho ol because of renovations. “Landmark wanted it
PHOTO BY CLAY NEELY
Delvin Carter gets his crown from his peer buddy, Wendy Knisley. By the end of the night, the event hosted 226 guests who traveled from as far away as Thomaston, Greenville, Pine Mountain, Griffin. One guest even came from Canada.
to continue but in someone else’s hands,” said B et h E l l i son , a member of t he church a nd LCC employee. “T hey had a strong desire that it would continue as a ministry.” “We don’t k now a ny other agency that was g o i n g to p i c k i t u p ,” DeGroot said. Ellison said she didn’t
k now i f a nyone else planned on ta king on the project either. “ I s a i d ‘ I t h i n k we will,’” she said. NCC used a mov i ng tr uck to tra nsport the d re s s e s to D e G ro ot ’s home, where they have been stored since September, she said. “ I d id a g ros s me asurement, and it prob-
ably f i l ls a space of 350 - 4 0 0 squ a re feet ,” DeGroot said. “It’s kind o f w a l l - t o -w a l l . T h e d re s s e s a re a l l h a n ging on racks, so at least they’re not tumbling on the f loor.” T h e c hu rc h’s g o a l i s to m a ke t h e e ve nt feel l i ke a memorable
DRESSES • 2
PHOTO BY CLAY NEELY
Wren Guerra shares a smile with Jared McCurry during Friday’s “Night To Shine” event held at Southcrest Church.
‘Night To Shine’ delivers an unforgettable experience BY CLAY NEELY
clay@newnan.com It was truly a “Night To Shine” for the hundreds who packed the dance floor at SouthCrest Church for a special night. The event features all the magic of prom for people with special needs. The event was held at more than 600 churches all over the country and is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. This was the third year the church has hosted the event. The annual pro-
gram reached more than 100,000 people with special needs this year, with more than 650 churches around the globe hosting the event. E a c h g u e s t e n te r e d the event on a red carpet, flanked on both sides by an adoring crowd and paparazzi. Once inside, the royal treatment continued for the guests, who could experience hair and ma keup stations, shoe sh i n i n g a re a s , l i mousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres.
Pa i red w it h a “ peer buddy” whose job is to make sure the guest has an unforgettable experience, guests enjoyed a catered dinner, prom favors, and a dance floor. T he ka raoke room – which was the place to be – was where prom attendees got their chance to perform their own renditions of the songs they would later dance to on the floor. At the end of the evening, Amber Clay was one
SHINE • 2
PHOTO BY CLAY NEELY
Rhett Bridges and Amy Williams enjoy a slow dance during Friday’s “Night To Shine” event.