International Child Care is proud to present nationally known folk singer, Joel Mabus, along with other Michigan musicians Rachael Davis, Drew Nelson, and folk trio Carmea in concert on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 7:30 PM. The concert will be held at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Auditorium, and will be emceed by WRKR radio morning show host Diane Vunovich. The tickets are a $20 suggested donation per person, $50 donation for a family of four, and can be purchased at International Child Care’s office (3506 Lover’s Lane, 269-382-9960), at the KVCC bookstores on main campus and Anna Whitten Hall on the Arcadia Campus, the Kalamazoo College bookstore, or at The Wesley Foundation on the WMU campus.

 Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Joel Mabus is a maverick in the folk music world. A mainstay on the folk circuit for the past 30 years, Joel has 18 albums to his credit and has been featured at the top folk clubs and festivals, such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Vancouver Folk Festival.  Michigan born Rachael Davis was awarded a Boston Music Award for Best New Singer-Songwriter in 2002 and took home the grand prize in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour Contest in 2003. Her influences range from the jazz stylings of Ella Fitzgerald to the soulful pop vocals of Patty Griffin.

Drew Nelson, also from Michigan, is an excellent acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.  In addition to giving back through his music, Nelson is involved in many community-based efforts to make our world a better place to live. The folk trio, Carmea, was born in September 2007 when multi-instrumentalist Rachel Alexander met singer-songwriter-guitarist Catherine Ellis. Alma Muxlow was soon drawn into the group to add harmony vocals, percussion and mandola. Beyond entertainment, one of the group’s missions is to promote peace and social justice.

International Child Care is a health development organization that has operated in Haiti for over 40 years. Centered at the Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, ICC is known for its work toward eradicating tuberculosis on the island nation. ICC’s programs address a wide variety of health and wellness needs in both Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, providing services like country-wide vaccination initiatives, HIV/AIDS treatment services and community health development. In the aftermath of the earthquake, International Child Care is also offering emergency trauma care and counseling to the Haitian children and families affected by this natural disaster.  The concert is sponsored in part through a generous donation from the KVCC office of events. All concert proceeds will be used for ICC’s disaster relief efforts in Haiti. 

For more information please contact International Child Care at 1-800-722-4453 or iccusa@internationalchildcare.org.

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