Global Lyme Alliance served as community partner and sponsor of Music for Action at SummerStage in Central Park during Climate Week NYC, bringing tick prevention to New Yorkers.
On Tuesday, September 22, Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) staff, ambassadors, and supporters gathered at Central Park’s SummerStage for Music for Action, a free Climate Week concert presented by City Parks Foundation and SummerStage with Capital One, and produced in partnership with LymeLnk. As a community partner and sponsor, GLA brought its mission directly to the public, equipping New Yorkers with the knowledge to protect themselves and their families from ticks and Lyme disease.
With Young the Giant headlining alongside St. Lucia, the lawn was packed with fans who came for the music. Music for Action was built to carry a public health message into an unexpected setting. Between sets and along the edges of the crowd, our message was simple and consistent: ticks are a year-round reality, prevention is possible, and acting quickly in the first hours after a bite can change the outcome. 
Why Climate Week Was the Perfect Stage:
Music for Action offered the Lyme community something rare: an audience that hadn't arrived with tick-borne illness in mind. Climate Week NYC draws vital attention to how a changing environment is expanding tick habitats and extending their active seasons. This event allowed the tick-borne disease community to address that reality from within a mainstream cultural moment rather than from the margins.
Ticks in New York City are not a hypothetical threat. The New York City Health Department reports blacklegged ticks on Staten Island and in the North Bronx, and they are common in the wooded areas just beyond the city limits where so many New Yorkers spend their weekends. The same mild conditions that make a September evening perfect for an outdoor concert also keep ticks questing well into autumn. Discussing tick-borne diseases on a Central Park lawn during Climate Week wasn’t a departure from the environmental theme—it was the theme.
Taking Prevention to the Lawn:
From the moment the gates opened, GLA ambassadors and volunteers engaged concertgoers in practical conversations about who we are, how to perform a proper tick check, why the first 36 to 48 hours after a bite are critical, and what to do if an attached tick is found. GLA's take-home tick prevention cards put the essential steps within easy reach.
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Over the course of the evening, the team spoke with parents who had never considered the park a tick habitat, runners and dog walkers who had, and many individuals who quietly shared their own long-term struggles with Lyme disease.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Volunteers, Partners & Friends:
None of this impact is possible without the people who generously give their time to speak with strangers about tick prevention. A special thank you to our GLA Ambassadors: Ali Kahn, Katherine Silver, Lindsey Smith, Sophia Denison, Rika Keck, and Monica Cipriani-Ene, and to every volunteer who joined them to raise awareness and make an impact, one conversation at a time.
We also wish to recognize the incredible team behind the evening. Eva Scarano and LymeLnk carried Music for Action from an idea to a packed lawn at SummerStage, and the night stands as a testament to her vision and persistence. It was wonderful to reconnect with our friends and industry colleagues at Lymelight Foundation and Tick Bootcamp. Sincere thanks as well to City Parks Foundation, SummerStage, Capital One, and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation's Cohen Lyme & Tickborne Disease Initiative, whose support gave Lyme disease awareness a stage of this magnitude.
Jennifer Katritos, Chief Executive Officer of Global Lyme Alliance, reflected on the evening:
“What made Music for Action so meaningful was the community that came together
around it. Our ambassadors had the opportunity to speak directly with New Yorkers about tick prevention and Lyme disease, creating the kind of personal connections that can truly make a difference. Global Lyme Alliance was proud to be a community partner and sponsor, and we’re grateful to Eva Scarano, LymeLnk, City Parks Foundation, and SummerStage for helping us bring Lyme disease awareness to the heart of Central Park."
Impact Beyond a Single Night:
Global Lyme Alliance is a research-first organization. We have invested over $27 million in Lyme and tick-borne disease science, generated 190+ peer-reviewed publications, and connected more than 4,600 patients to care last year through our physician referral network. Yet research only serves those who know the disease exists and understand how to protect themselves. By highlighting how a changing climate redraws the map of tick habitats, Music for Action allowed us to step into the spotlight and place the tools of prevention directly into the public's hands.
Keep Learning and Get Involved:
If you joined us at SummerStage and picked up one of our cards—welcome to the GLA community. If you missed us, the same vital guidance is available online:
- Learn how to Be Tick AWARE before your next park visit.
- Read our latest insights on why ticks are making headlines this year.
- If you or a loved one is navigating Lyme disease, use our Find a Lyme Specialist tool for a direct path to an experienced physician.
- Want to join us on the lawn next time? Apply to become a GLA Ambassador.
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