Night with the Stars Prom — A Night in Oz — Took place on Friday April 15th and was a rousing success. I was honored once again to be one of the photography sponsors and for this amazing event. The smiles on all the faces tell the story far better than I ever could.

YOU ARE

AMAZING

YOU ARE

IMPORTANT

YOU ARE

SPECIAL

YOU ARE

UNIQUE

YOU ARE

KIND

YOU ARE

PRECIOUS

YOU ARE

LOVED

You are loved.
You are valuable.
You are crafted with beauty and purpose.
I treasure you and this world needs you.
There is no one like you.
You don’t need to look like the rest
or talk like the rest
or be like the rest
There is no truth in the lie that you don’t matter.
The world needs you as you are.
You were put here for a reason.

You are loved.

You were not an accident.
You are not a mistake.

                          ~curt mega

Woodland Community Church was transformed into OZ as an army of volunteers prepared to welcome over 500 excited guests.

Night With the Stars Prom is a totally free prom for special needs residents 16 and older in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Absolutely everything for this annual event is donated.

The food, the formal wear for the attendees, the music, the decorations, the photos. It is a labor of love for all involved. All you have to do is look around to see why this event is such a special night for everyone. The smiles say it all.

You can visit Night With the Stars Prom online at www.nightwiththestarsprom.com and pop on over to their Facebook page to show them some love.

I walked into the evening with joyful expectation. And I wasn’t disappointed.

I walked out full of love and hope and inspiration.

Thank you, Night With the Stars, for the humble honor of

capturing your joy.

be joyful,

michaela

I would love to help you capture the memories of your special event. Please look around the site, and contact me at ristainophotography@gmail.com to start planning your special day.