Numotion, Sing Me a Story Partner to Help Children with Neuromuscular Diseases Turn Life Stories to Songs

Nonprofit Sing Me a Story and Numotion are collaborating to help children with various neuromuscular diseases served by the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) share their unique stories through song.

This alliance was supported by the ongoing partnership between MDA and Numotion, a company that provides mobility products and services.

“This is an opportunity to bring together the missions of three organizations in a truly unique and positive way,” Bret Barczak, chief marketing officer of Numotion, said in a press release. “Allowing kids to be kids by using their creativity, and then having a professional songwriter turn their message into a song that conveys the heart and spirit of these awesome kids was something that we saw as a great opportunity to get involved with and help promote.”

The stories shared by the children are distributed to Sing Me a Story’s songwriters through the organization’s website, who turn the narratives into songs. After recording the song, they send it to the child author by uploading it to the site. Sing Me a Story then creates jukebox campaigns for each song shared to raise money for itself and its partnering organizations.

“We believe the greatest gift is the gift of giving,” said Austin Atteberry, executive director and co-founder of Sing Me a Story. “It is our goal to give the children we serve an opportunity to give the one thing they all have regardless of circumstance, their imaginations, and to bring those imaginations to the world through music. Thank you to Numotion and the Muscular Dystrophy Association for the opportunity to do that.”

Carlee Beam, 10, a Numotion customer and MDA Ambassador, told her story — including details about her family and what it’s like to live with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — to singer/songwriter Rachel Davis. Davis put Beam’s journey to music and called it “One Strong Little Ma’am.”

The process of making Beam’s video was recorded from the initial idea to the final song reveal.

Donations from Beam’s song will go to MDA and Sing Me a Story, and contributors will receive the song as an Mp3 with their donation receipt.

“MDA is proud to partner with these organizations to showcase the creativity and inspiring stories of some of the phenomenal kids we are proud to serve,” said Amanda Spiehler, national director of partnerships of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. “Carlee’s song is not only about living with spinal muscular atrophy, but it’s about her journey and her family and this is just one example of the powerful stories our families have to share with the world.”