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In an effort to help her father Jeff, Butchen created the "Dance, Shake & Donate" campaign to help raise funds and awareness about the disease by combining two of her favorite things: Taylor Swift and dancing.
"Our family’s motto has been for dad to just 'shake it off' so when the song from Taylor Swift came out and I watched the video of all the people dancing and shaking, I thought that it would be a perfect way to raise money and awareness," Butchen said in an interview with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. "After sharing my idea with my family and hearing such great feedback, we decided to figure out a way to make this into a bigger idea."
Similar to the "Ice Bucket Challenge" that went viral this summer, Butchen hopes to use the power of social media to get friends and family to make videos of themselves dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off," then donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Then they are to challenge other friends and family members to do the same.
Beyond the social media efforts, Butchen and the Michael J. Fox Foundation will hold a group "Dance, Shake & Donate" video challenge from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 on Main Street in Ridgefield.
As of Thursday, Nov. 13, Butchen has raised more than $23,000 toward her stated goal of $100,000.
"My favorite was from a woman named Lynn. She was dancing in a hotel lobby and even got the hotel staff involved," Butchen told the Michael J. Fox Foundation. "It started with her rocking out. She was dancing and doing her own thing, then the bellmen and others hopped in and were all dancing in the background."
Click here to donate to the "Shake, Dance & Donate" campaign.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research was established in 2000 by Canadian-born actor Michael J. Fox, who disclosed in 1998 he has had the disease since 1991. It has invested more than $50 million in Parkinson's research.
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