January 2024 Special Needs Living Magazine

Question & Answer Session with Diana Spaulding Event Director of Night to Shine, Canton

Q. Where do you work currently?

A. I’m the Event Director for Night to Shine, Canton hosted by Westbrook Park Church

Q. What is your job title here?

A. Event Director

Q. How long have you been working with this event?

A. This is our second year putting on Night to Shine

Q. What other professional associations are you a member of? (Board of Directors, Volunteer organizations, etc)

A. I’m the CEO of Elevate Life Network, a non-profit focused on abolishing economic, relational, and spiritual poverty in Canton, OH through career building and offering wrap-around services to help people move from generational poverty to generational wealth. I also volunteer at the Westbook Park Food Bank and with our Share Canton ministry that helps provide food, clothing, and other needs to the homeless and transient community.

Q. What do your day-to-day job responsibilities include?

A. For Night to Shine, connecting with community partners and volunteers takes up a large portion of my day. There are also a lot of emails and phone calls to answer questions. I want to make this a special event for everyone involved, and that means doing a lot behind the scenes to make sure everyone involved can enjoy the night.

Q. What is the inspiration behind why you put on this program?

A. It all really started with my friend Gary. His brother and sister-in-law are some of my best friends. And he is the sweetest guy. I see what he has gone through and what the community around him looks like, and it doesn’t take long to see that this is a community that deserves more recognition, more celebration, and how much love is shared within the community. I want everyone to know how much God loves them just the way they are and that they deserve that love and respect from everyone in the community.

Q. What part of your event are you most passionate about?

A. It’s hard to see what’s coming together when you’re down in the weeds getting all the pieces put together. There are plenty of days that you wonder why you want to put the time and effort in. But when Night to Shine comes around, and you get to talk with the guests, hear their stories, and the stories from the volunteers and workers – it reminds you 10-fold why I want to do this and make it bigger and better every year.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who is new to your field?

A. Be ready to devote yourself to the work. It’s not a job, It’s not a 9-5. This is something that will change the way you see people and the way you see the world. It will inspire you, exhaust you, and your heart will be filled. God isn’t asking for something easy, he’s asking for your heart and for you to share it with others who He loves just as much.

Q. What is your favorite success story you have seen?

A. There are so many great stories to tell, but one that always stands out to me and I tell others over and over is towards the end of the night at the 2023 Night to Shine, one of our guests came up and told me that she got to check off 3 items from her bucket list – she got a flower, she got a crown, and she got to dance with a boy. She was so sweet and that’s just one of countless stories from one night in one year.

Q. If you could go back and talk to yourself at the beginning, what advice would you give yourself?

A. I would tell myself to not worry as much about the details. Things will come together. The people who are meant to help will be there. The guests will be there. God has it in his hands and he is the one that makes me look like I know what I’m doing.

Q. What is something you would change in your field for the better if you could?

A. I’d make it easier to navigate services. There are so many, but some are not easy to find, and it is difficult. I don’t have a better answer or any suggestions on how I would do it, but that’s what I would love to see.

Q. What advice would you give to parents in your field to help navigate?

A. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. There are so many people just waiting to offer a hand. Listen for the advice and even if you think your question is off the wall or someone won’t know the answer, just ask. I’ve been able to make some incredible connections through the most unlikely channels just by asking what I thought was a hopeless question.

Q. What has been the biggest factor in your success?

A. One of our biggest allies who have given us the ability to open up to as many guests as we have has been Jason Dixon, the Assistant Superintendent of Canton City Schools. He offered us to use Timken Career Campus and because of this and the incredible staff at the building and within the district, we have the ability to grow. He’s an incredible person and an enormous factor in our success. Another has been our pastor Joel Adkins. He’s going to hate that I mention him of give him any credit, but his leadership and faith in me and my team was the reason Night to Shine is in Canton to begin with. But it’s the giving of time and resources of all our volunteers that really makes this successful. I could never do this alone and it takes a community to put this on. I should also thank my husband, Eric, and my girls, Ryah, Kara, and Evelyn. They are an incredible support system and also do what they can to help.

Q. What is your favorite non-profit organization or volunteer opportunity?

A. I have to mention The Tim Tebow Foundation which started the Night to Shine movement. His foundation does so much great work, not just with Night to Shine and the special needs community, but in all sorts of areas. And, if I can make a selfish plug, I’m just starting Elevate Life Network, working with individuals in poverty to provide free career training to bring them out of generational poverty and move to generational wealth. We’re starting our first cohort in February (just after Night to Shine) and registration is open now. We want to try and change the face of Canton on multiple fronts, and we hope that we can be a positive force in our neighborhood and community.