By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
Aubrey Sheldon is taking her ideas and turning them into reality after receiving an Acorn2Oak grant.
Sheldon is a 12-year-old dancer who created a dance subscription box which is focused on helping kids who couldn’t take dance lessons at a studio. With the subscription box they can learn at home.

“I was very excited,” Sheldon said about receiving the news she would receive an Acorn2Oak grant at the end of May. “I was able to start something to help people.”
She shared the grant gave her enough money to start her business.
“Having the start up money will help me with all of the costs,” Sheldon explained. “I named it Dance Studio Direct. My mom helped me come up with it. It’s kind of like a dance studio sent directly to your home.”
Sheldon shared her idea came from her experience as a dancer.
“I know how much money it costs to attend dance classes at a studio. It is a lot,” she explained. “So I wanted to find a way that would allow all kids to learn how to dance and enjoy it no matter what.”
She shared each box will be different.

“I am hoping to have different kinds of apparel, dance accessories and tutorials in each box,” she said. “My dance teacher, Alex, at Elite Dance Arts Co. in Davisburg is going to film a tutorial with me for the first box next month. I am super thankful for the companies that have sent me some apparel to put in my boxes – BodyWrappers, Mondor and Stelle have all been super supportive. I have my logo, and we are starting to build the online website now.”
Sheldon added for every box purchased, one box will be donated to a child in need in the community.
The Acorn2Oak program is an initiative run by Leadership Oakland, supported to provide grants to individuals ages 8-18-years-old. Acorn2Oak is designed to support business ideas, community initiatives, educational pursuits and extracurricular activities.