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Teen Invites Ridgefield To ‘Shake It Off’ For Parkinson’s

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. – High school student Zoe Butchen, who has captured the attention of national media with her campaign to “Dance, Shake & Donate” for Parkinson’s disease, will close down Main Street in Ridgefield on Saturday, Nov. 22, starting at 8:30 a.m. to host a massive dance event to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”

“Dance, Shake & Donate” for Parkinson’s Disease hosted by Zoe Butchen will be held Nov 22.

“Dance, Shake & Donate” for Parkinson’s Disease hosted by Zoe Butchen will be held Nov 22.

Photo Credit: File

All donations will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

Radio partner 98 Q will be on site. The event is scheduled to last for two hours, and will lead to the closure of Main Street in the downtown area. 

Zoe's father, Jeff Butchen, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In an effort to help, she 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.

Her goal is to raise $100,000. So far, her campaign has raised $25,438. 

Click here to donate to the "Shake, Dance & Donate" campaign. 

Read more about Zoe's efforts here on the Daily Voice.

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