The Greatest Party in the History of All Parties Ever!
Our Story:
Since 2012, Night to Remember has been throwing the best party in Ventura County to celebrate some of the most incredible, amazing, and beautiful people in our county: students with disabilities.
Night to Remember is a free prom organized by Mission Church honoring students with disabilities ages 12-25. Each guest (our students with disabilities) is provided, free of charge, with everything they will need for a truly memorable experience: a dress or tuxedo, professional makeup and hair styling, a ride in a limousine, formal photos, a walk down the red carpet with a cheering paparazzi, a live DJ, food and a student host.
The first Night to Remember prom was held at Poinsettia Pavilion. We quickly outgrew that space and had to start hosting the event at the old movie theater off of Johnson Drive in Ventura.
Year after year, more and more people began to link arms together to make this night even more incredible. We had more Guests signing up and giving us the honor of celebrating them for a night. We had more hair and makeup artists from LA showing up to make sure our guests looked like they were ready for the red carpet! We had hundreds of paparazzi volunteers showing up to create a red carpet experience as each guest had their name read out over the loud speakers! Our community and county rallied together year after year to make this night even bigger and better.
So much so that in 2016, Night to Remember had to move to the Ventura County Fairgrounds because so many people in our county wanted to be a part of this event! Every year, we have 400-500 guests and over 1,500 volunteers from our community come together for the best party in the history of all parties EVER.
It has been a joy to celebrate the students with disabilities and their families in our county for the past 13 years. Together we have been able to spread a message of hope, love, and unity in our community. If you’ve never been to Night to Remember before, don’t miss out!
Our Guests:
This incredible evening is planned and prepared specifically for students with intellectual disabilities, ages 12-25.
Intellectual disability is a term used when “a person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and skills, including conceptual, social, and practical skills, such as language, social, and self-care skills.”1 Common intellectual disabilities include autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and more.
Intellectual disabilities affect behavior and how a person learns, communicates, and interacts with others where they live, learn, and play. In a school environment, students with disabilities aren’t always able to participate in everything their neurotypical peers might be able to. Prom or other big social events might fall into that category, but that’s where we come in!
Everything that happens at the NTR event is carefully and purposefully planned to be accessible, safe, inclusive, and joyful for every single guest and their families. We don’t just make room for students with disabilities, we give them a place of honor and celebration!
What to Expect at NTR:
It’s all about the guest - This whole night is all about our guests! From the music selection, to the food choices, to the decorations…everything we do at Night to Remember is with the guest in mind.
Extravagance - This is not your grandma’s prom, this is like the Grammy’s Prom! At Night to Remember we believe in creating an unforgettable and extravagant experience for our guests because they deserve the best!
No strings attached – Through the generous donations of individuals and organizations in our county, Night to Remember is a totally free event to our guests and their families.
Safety – We take safety seriously here at Night to Remember. We have a full medical team and security team to help with the physical safety of our guests and we have a team of “Guest Specialists” who are people that work professionally with people with disabilities.
Excellence – We do our best to bring excellence to every detail at Night to Remember. From the moment our guests and their families arrive on site, we want to create a seamless experience where they feel pampered and celebrated. From registration before the event to check-out after the party, every detail has been thought through to our best ability to provide the best experience possible for our guests.
Volunteer-led community event – Night to Remember is a community event led by volunteers in our own community, and we really believe that this is a huge part of our secret sauce! We have a Leadership Team of 60+ volunteers that lead this event and lead the 1,500+ volunteers that it takes to throw this prom. Night to Remember has gotten bigger and better every year since we’ve started because more and more people have linked arms together to live for a purpose way bigger than ourselves!
Volunteer Opportunities:
Host - A 15-25 year old neurotypical student that is partnered with the guest for the night
Volunteer- A community member that volunteers their time to make this event so focused on the guests! We have dozens of volunteer teams linking arms to do all sorts of different projects that combine to create an incredible night!
Paparazzi – these are the 400+ volunteers that help create one of the most memorable experiences for our guests: walking down the red carpet with hundreds of people cheering their name! (Most guests say they feel like a movie star walking down that red carpet!
1 Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the Benefit of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. “What is Intellectual Disability.” specialolympics.org. 2024.