frontlines
Dance For Good
Studio A show to benefit
senior dancer's own charity.
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
M
ackenzie Coden is com-
bining her love of dance
with her concern for the
environment at the annual Studio A
Center for the Performing Arts char-
ity show at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20,
at Walled Lake Northern High School.
Mackenzie, 17, and a senior at Walled
Lake Central, has been dancing since
age 3. She's been at Studio A in Walled
Lake since sixth grade. Her career in
enhancing the environment is less than
a year old, but going strong.
Last May, she and other members of
her high school orchestra were travel-
ing to perform when they passed the
landfill off 1-275, south of Canton.
"We saw little trees planted at the
bottom of the landfill and thought it
was great to see trees:' she said. "The
landfill is not the best landscape. My
friend Raffaela Hainsbushner and I
thought how great it would be if more
trees were planted at this kind of place
They came up with the idea of mak-
ing little key chains out of slices of
wood cut from fallen tree limbs. Each
slice is adorned with a hand-painted
tree. The teens sell them for $5 each
and guarantee they will plant a tree for
each key chain purchased. "We are not
keeping one cent — it all goes to trees
and materials:' Mackenzie said.
"We created this charity with the idea
that you could make a tangible differ-
ence. People donate money to so many
charities, but never see the difference
their money makes. By physically plant-
ing the trees, we will be able to see the
positive change we will be making to
our community."
Working with the Arbor Day
Foundation, they intend to buy seed-
lings in lots of 50 for about $2 each. So
far, they've sold 50 or so key chains, but
expect to sell many more at the Studio
A charity show.
Tree Everlasting will plant trees here
and in Israel (where the cost is more.)
"I'm Jewish and Raffaela is Christian,
and we have a lot of friends who
are Jewish, Christian and Muslim:'
Mackenzie said. "Planting trees in
Israel shows the bringing together of
all faiths in our school because Israel is
such an important place to these major
religions!'
They don't have a designated place
for local planting, but have contacted
the Walled Lake and West Bloomfield
parks and rec departments.
Mackenzie is the daughter of Andy
and Karen Coden, and big sister to
JN CONTENTS
Jan. 17-23, 2013
6-12 Shevat 5773
Around Town
18
Arts/Entertainment
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Calendar
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Family Focus
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Food
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Israel
5, 11, 24-25
Letters
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Life Cycles
Marketplace
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Metro
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Next Generation
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41 116
Mackenzie Coden with key chains
she's selling for her charity, Tree
Everlasting
Kendall, Megan and Kyle. They belong
to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
She looks forward to performing
in the charity show, where she'll be in
several group dances and do a solo tap
number.
"Mackenzie is an incredible teen,"
said Amy Friedman, owner of Studio A.
"She's always there for the younger kids,
always inspiring them.
"When the charity show came up, I
brought up her nonprofit, and everyone
said we need to support it. One hun-
dred percent of the profits go to Tree
Everlasting!" Tickets are $10.
Patrons to the charity show also
can bring new toys to donate to the
Bottomless Toy Chest in Birmingham.
"It's really very cool to have the sup-
port of all my dance friends:' Mackenzie
said.
❑
To help, go to treeeverlasting@gmail.com .
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Vol. CXLII, No. 24
Obituaries
Out & About
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Sports
Staff Box/Phone List
Synagogue List
Torah Portion
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Columnist
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Shabbat Lights
Shabbat: Friday, Jan. 18, 5:11 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 19, 6:16 p.m.
Shabbat (Tu b'Shevat): Friday, Jan. 25, 5:19 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 26, 6:24 p.m.
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