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Struggling singer and song
wricer John Beltzer was at a professional cross-
roads in 1996 when he came up with an
idea that's helped thousands of chronic
and terminally ill children.
“1 had just lost a record deal and was pretty
w
devastated," explains Beltzer, 46, of Forest Hills,
N.Y. "I was walking down the street in my
neighborlxxxl and had an epiphany to use my
talents for a higher purpose."
Save On These and Much More!
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After years of attempting to write songs he hoped would be
adored by millions, Beltzer saw far greater potential in writing
for significantly smaller audiences—one child at a time. "The
concept just popped into my head to write personalized songs for
seriously ill children," he says. “It was such a simple yet powerful
idea, but something told me nobody had done it before."
Beltzer contacted St. Jude Childrens Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.,
and over a four-day period wrote and recorded six personalized songs
for six kids based on biographical information provided by hospital
staff “I just knew it was going to work," he says.
Two weeks later, he got a call from the mother of Britrany Smith,
one of the first children to receive a personalized song. “Six; put Brit
tany on the phone who, with the cutest little voice, said, 'Thank you
for my song.' I hung up and cried for half an hour.
“I knew that call was all the Grammy award I was ever
going to need.”
Nearly 10 years later, the Songs of Love Foundation has enlisted
more than 500 professional songwriters to write and record custom
ized songs for B,(XX) seriously ill children across the nation. Beltzer
has written about I,(XX) songs himself
Celebrities, including Michael Bolton,
Billy Joel, Ronnie Specter, David Lee
Roth and the Broadway cast of Titanic ,
also have volunteered their talents.
Currently producing about 160
songs a month, the organization lias a
full-time staff of three, plus two part
time employees. The process starts when
a family member or caregiver fills out
and submits a Songs of Love profile
form, downloaded from the foundation’s
website, wwwMmgsoflme.org, or provided
by the hospital. The child's name, inter
ests and hobbies, as well as names of
E 3
friends, pets and family members, are then integrated into a song
written just for him or her, professionally recorded and delivered on
cassette or CD to the child's bedside. Turnaround for a customized
song is typically four to eight weeks, but can be as little as 24 to 48
hours in dire circumstances. Costs and overhead average about $250
per song, but there's no charge to families; expenses are underwritten
by private and corporate donations. Requests grew by 33 percent last
year, however, and funding continues to be a challenge.
John Alexander, an executive at Great American Country cable
television network, mobilized the music community in Nashville,
Tenn., for the compilation album Songs Of Love: Medicine Of Music, sales
of which offset the organization's increasing costs. "These songs are a
gift,” says Alexander, 48, who lives in Franklin, Tenn. “Not just for
die child and family, but for tlx; writers and everyone associated."
Nancy Harrison, 56, of Oklahoma City, Okla., recently requested
a song for her 5-year-old grandson Mikey, who's battling lymphoma.
"He hid just started a really tough treatment," Harrison says. "School
was starting and he didn’t want to go because he didn’t have any hair.
We surprised him with tlx; song and he lit up like a candle. We were
all crying. It really gave him some kind of power.”
Five-year-old Betsi Kennedy of Madison, Wis., received her
Song of Love while undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor.
“We can't get it out of her CD player,” says Betsi’s mom, Debi Ken
nedy, 35. Months later, it remains a source of strength. “Receiving
this song,” Kennedy says, “has been like a ray of sunshine at just
the right time."
Chuck Aly is u uriter in Ncrshville. Tenn.
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Joseph Krupski, 2, of
Essex,Vt., receives his
personalized song.
Page 18
•American Profile