Years of hard work and dedication culminated in singer Michelle Beaton-Kent’s donation of $3,000 to Carousel Ranch, a result of sales from her “Freedom CD.”

The gift was recently presented to the Ranch by Beaton-Kent, a champion equestrian, and her mom Melissa Beaton-Kent who set out to make a real difference by combining her love of horses  with her love of music.

Beaton-Kent mastered her voice at thirteen years old, after taking voice lessons for more than four years. There are many pre-teens on YouTube who build a fan base on their own channels. Some write songs, record demos or audition for American Idol and The Voice, but none of that interested Beaton-Kent. She decided to use her original songs and her strong command of her country-rock voice for charity.

For over six months, Beaton-Kent honed her tunes with her voice teacher, Rene Urbanovich, then recorded with local sound engineer, Ashley Spalding. The result was a seven song CD that sold $3,000 worth of copies.

The money was then donated to Carousel Ranch, an equestrian therapy program in Santa Clarita. The CD itself and the release party on November 21st, 2015–held at Carousel Ranch–served to connect friends and family with the ranch, which exemplifies what the arts are meant to do.

Denise Redmond, Executive Director at Carousel Ranch went on to say “Michelle has set a perfect example of how the younger generation can use their time, talents and energy to benefit others within their own community. It is refreshing really, to see kids helping kids in such a positive way.”

She shows us all how an artist can benefit others while developing her own talent and feel the joy that comes from making the world a better place.

Carousel Ranch is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing equestrian therapy for disabled children, creating a unique and individualized program to meet each child’s specific needs and goals. Utilizing equestrian therapy, we strive to create an atmosphere where every child can and will succeed…a place where therapy is disguised as fun.