ANN ARBOR – The inaugural AMPLIFY4CMV Charity Concert benefiting the National CMV Foundation (NCMVF) is set to take place on Oct. 14, 2023, at Club Above @ The Heidelberg in Ann Arbor.
University of Michigan alums, Distracted by Nature, have teamed up with National CMV Foundation founding board members, Kristen Hutchinson Spytek and Danielle Kinkel, to host this unique event that pairs UoM Football, live music, and charity together into one spectacular event. Sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor, ASL at Home, and Lingvano, AMPLIFY4CMV proudly showcases live performances by The Reference and Whiskey River along with event headliner, Distracted by Nature.
In part a reprisal from their college days and in part a refreshing twist to the world of dad bands, Distracted by Nature is making waves with a unique sound that defies categorization, drawing inspiration from genres that reflect their personalities, backgrounds, and hometowns. From classic rock to indie vibes, and everything in between, their tunes are a journey down memory lane plus all that’s yet to come!
With their upcoming Amplify4CMV concert, Distracted by Nature will lend their talents to a critically important cause that has deep roots in Ann Arbor, Michigan–the very place that shaped their sound, values, and friendships. Kinkel, one of the event hosts’ and a founding board member of NCMVF, shares her heartfelt pride, “as we launch the first AMPLIFY4CMV concert, I am truly overwhelmed to see the convergence of my friends and family through this event to support the mission to end congenital CMV. It shows me that people want to help, they want to stand with us. This began with a late-night phone call and proves that even a small idea can make a huge impact. UofM has given us a home to return to and community to call upon, and we are forever grateful”.
Concert proceeds will benefit the National CMV Foundation, a non-profit organization working day in and day out to prevent infant and childhood death and disability due to congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), the most common infectious cause of birth defects and the #1 cause of non-genetic hearing loss in children. NCMVF began through the life of Evelyn Spytek, daughter of UofM alums Kristen and John Spytek, who was born with and lost too early due to cCMV.
Spytek says, “we are honored to witness the continued outpouring of support from our family, friends, and peers as they look for new ways to engage our community and drum up awareness for this deeply personal cause. We believe that music has healing qualities, through hearing and feeling the vibrations of sound, and we are thrilled to have an event in Ann Arbor to bring people together in the name of saving future babies.”
The AMPLIFY4CMV concert series aims to provide a platform for bringing music and CMV philanthropy together. Performances by Distracted by Nature, The Reference, and Whiskey River begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Club Above on Saturday, October 14, 2023. 100% of proceeds will benefit the National CMV Foundation.
About National CMV Foundation
Founded in 2014 by two Michigan alumni, the National CMV Foundation’s mission is to prevent pregnancy loss, childhood death, and disability due to congenital CMV. Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is a global public health issue. To advance our purpose, we support a policy agenda aimed at ensuring access to education for women of childbearing age, accelerating research funding, screening newborns for congenital CMV, and advocating for a vaccine.
We deliver education about congenital CMV through digital platforms, strategic partnerships, public health initiatives, and grassroots advocacy efforts. We advocate for the screening of newborns so we may properly evaluate and identify these babies to enroll them in the proper interventions and treatment as a standard of care. Visit https://amplify4cmv.funraise.org/ or email events@nationalcmv.org. To learn more about congenital cytomegalovirus, visit nationalcmv.org.
