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Singing songs of love

We are always looking for good stories for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and the Today Show. For tonight's "Making a Difference," we pulled a story from our own files. Correspondent Rehema Ellis suggested the story about John Beltzer, I wrote the pitch and Nightly News liked it. Ellis had been the correspondent and I had been the producer nine years ago when we did this story for the Today Show. As I recall, a young desk assistant named Dean Arrindell found the story in a newspaper from the Midwest. It was assigned to Ellis and me.

John Beltzer is from Queens, N.Y. He started a non-profit organization called Songs of Love as a tribute to his twin Julio, who had also been a singer/songwriter before committing suicide at age 24. The idea for the foundation came to Beltzer while walking down the street one day near his home. His twin had written a song entitled "Songs of Love."  Beltzer called St. Jude's Hospital in Tennessee and asked for the names of six seriously ill children. He sent them personalized songs within 10 days. About a week later, he got a call from a little girl who said, "thank you for my song." Beltzer said he hung up and cried for 30 minutes. At that moment he knew he had found his life's mission.

When we first met Beltzer in 1997, Songs of Love was barely a year old and 400 songs had been written. Today the organization is 10 years old and 10,000 songs have gone to sick children around the country, even in different languages to children overseas!

Beltzer has an army of volunteer songwriters and singers. The children, their families or the hospital staff fill out a profile sheet listing family names, friends, pets, hobbies. The songwriters use the information to produce a one-of-a-kind, individualized, personalized song. Children get the song on a CD with the lyrics.

While working on this story, I had the opportunity to observe many children receive their songs at home or in a hospital. It is hard for the camera to capture the joy and excitement. Every child wants to hear the song again. Parents cry. Children smile. It's wonderful to witness.  Many write letters thanking Beltzer and his non-profit foundation. Some report playing the song to help them cope with a painful treatment or to lift their spirits when they are down. For those who don't survive, parents report they've played the song at the child's funeral, sometimes as the eulogy.

John Beltzer thought he would be a star as a performer. Now he feels his talents are best used helping seriously ill children. "Songs for Love" relies on donations. Beltzer has gotten big names on some songs - Billy Joel, Nancy Sinatra, David Lee Roth, Michael Bolton. He dreams of having Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder sing a song for a sick child. 

The 10,000th song went to Saeed Boynes, a 14-year-old who has sickle cell anemia and lives in the Bronx. Beltzer wrote the song with backup by Angela Workman, a former singer with Ray Charles. The chorus was sung by the audience at a Black Eyed Peas concert. 

Beltzer's ultimate dream is ambitious: No more sick children. Until then, he plans to continue writing and singing his "Songs of Love."He welcomes your e-mails: john@songsoflove.org.

Loose ends at week's end

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