Hello MDT Families and Friends,

I am reaching out to our school with a heart full of gratitude today. As we look back at the last few years at MDT, it is truly a testament of teamwork, commitment, and sacrifice from all of you, considering all that our world has been through and is still going through. The pandemic hoops that we were forced to jump through for several years, the reality of a big “tightening of our belt” to sustain the challenges as a nonprofit, and the honest fact that you wanted this place to remain vital and present for our current and future students, were all factors for our momentum and success. As I consider how each year we come to you and ask for support for our nonprofit programs and ask for support to sustain our high rent and overhead, I am always humbled at how many of you come through for the school, and for your children.

Well, it is that time of year again and I wanted to once again seek your support and hope to engage more of you in this goal. If every student at our school raised even just a small amount in support of our "Raise the Barre" Danceathon Event, (each student’s goal is to raise $300), it would go such a long way, as well as fostering a strong connection of partnership. Our event on Sunday, March 5^th is such a delightful day that includes a silent auction, dance classes, young dancer arts & crafts, a photobooth, facepainting, raffles, a lunch catered by Comfort’s and a special scholarship presentation which is voted on by the dancer’s peers (see attached schedule for details of the day’s events). The team hard at work planning it puts in so many hours to make it a great day of community and fun, with hopefully the result of significant support for our program and its longevity. As a staff we smile at the beautiful energy our new families of tiny dancers bring and we are so excited to watch their journey unfold with us. We hope that you will join us this year at our Danceathon and that you have the chance to experience this special day! Many of our current Junior and Senior dancers have been with us for a long time, and they become important role models to the little ones, just as the previous generations of dancers were mentors to them. It is my hope that this sweet cycle can continue for many years to come.

We need your help. We need everyone pitching in where they can and by reaching out to friends, family, and neighbors for donations. Our participation at present in this campaign is not where we need it to be, and so I am reaching out to ask you to please consider leaning in towards this cause. A little bit from everyone will go A LONG WAY! If your family cannot attend March 5^th, your dancer can still participate in the donation campaign and can feel the joy of contributing.

To register for the event, please click the link here: https://forms.gle/VsfnmWTqbfNo7fEy7. After you register, the fundraising link will be sent to your email address. If you have any questions, please contact the office at info@mdt.org.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I thank you on behalf of the incredible team of teachers and staff that care deeply for your children, and I remain so grateful to be a part of this special place called MDT. Looking forward to what we can do TOGETHER! I hope to see you on March 5^th!

With gratitude,
Lynn Cox
Artistic Director