Wednesday, December 29, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 29th, 2010

Did you know that by donating your car to Songs of Love, not only are you helping us to underwrite the cost of bringing more personalized, original songs to sick and disabled children, but you are reaping benefits as well! First, donating your car is much easier than trying to sell or trade in your car. Additionally, you could be eligible for a 2010 Fair Market Value tax deduction on your car donation. Basically, come tax time, you'll enjoy the benefits of a tax deduction. Of course, the best benefit is clear in our thank you letters from children and families who have received songs from Songs of Love. One such letter comes to us today from the family of Olivia Jimenez. As we step into the new year, it's great to be reminded of the purpose of the work we do. Enjoy!




My daughter Olivia received her song. It was just beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes from the emotions. Her school will be holding a benefit fundraiser and this song will defintiley be shared with everyone that day.  We are originally from Flushing Queens, NY. We moved here 5 yrs ago and I see you guys are in Forest Hills. That area is great happening spot with neat stores and great food! 
Thank you so much, these song creations are a wonderful way to bring encouragement to these kids.  It really brightened up Olivia's day and ours! The tune is catchy and on point.
 
-Ginger

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 28th, 2010

Greetings, Songs of Love family! We hope everyone is having a wonderful time with friends and family as we say goodbye to 2010. Remember, you can donate your car or make a cash donation at any time to help us bring more music to more sick children around the world. You can read more about the work we're doing and how it's impacting the kids by looking at the thank you letter below and many other thank you letters on this blog. It's a simple as a phone call or a visit to our website - you too can make a car donation or even donate your time to helping the cause. And now, today's thank you letter!



You are absolutely amazing! Every parent looks forward to seeing their kids craw, or say their first words. We were those parents too, but soon after Caleb was born we found out our enjoyment was going to be a little different. We got excited when we were discharged from Children's Hospital after two months. We get excited when Caleb is seizure free for a day, week, or month and when he holds his head up on his own we jump with joy. That's when we get the biggest smile! Caleb has taught us a lot about being parents and how to be his. We are so thankful we have him!
The song you wrote for Caleb captures all of the positive aspects of his life. It's wonderful because we have a lot of negatives. We have listened to the song a lot, okay like fifteen times. We love it and Caleb is starting to make the connections. He looks for Brewster and Duke and smiles when he hears Aunt Kay, Kay's name. You did a great job, and I can't wait for everyone to hear the song. Thank you so much for this great gift we will cherish forever!
 
 
The Isenbarg Family

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 22nd, 2010

A "thank you" letter to Songs of Love is really a "thank you" letter to you and our selfless supporters. If you know anyone who is looking to donate a car or seeking out a charity to donate to, please let them know about Songs of Love. The more support we have, the better our chances of reaching many more children next year and for many years to come. Letters like the one below truly tell the story from the perspective of those most affected by the songs - the children themselves. Our programs, like our events and our car donation program, all go to benefit the creation and production of songs for children who really need them. With that in mind, we share with you the following letter.



Hi,

Thank you so much for the best song ever, we didn't give you much to work with, but it's the best song ever, we just cried with joy even the boys cried, but then later started singing along. The song never gets old, and never will. I made a Slide Show to go with the song, please check it out on the blog www.thefullmerboyz.blogspot.com I have ask people to leave feedback about songs of love and how the song made them feel.It's awsome Primary Children's Hospital never heard of Songs of Love, but because of Lucas they do and have already told other families about the foundation.

I would love to send you a DVD of the Slide Show if you would like, just let me know what your address is.

Once again Thank You so much.
Love Lucas and Fullmer Family.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 16th, 2010

Today, we take a look at another letter from a child who benefited from a car donation, cash donation or time donation from people like you. Without your help, this wouldn't have been possible. Without your help, we wouldn't be in operation. Your donations keep our organization alive.
A few dollars can help fund a song. A car donation can help fund many songs. Please consider being a donor!



Hello John,
 
My name is Kim Davis, and my son Andrew is autistic.  He just graduated from Rock Creek School in Frederick MD this past Friday.
I wanted to say thank you for the song that you wrote especially for him, and also thanks to the singer on the song, Ernie Gold.   This is a wonderful thing you are doing.  I will tell you that this was a very emotional day and there were many tears in that room that night.  The kids in my son's graduating class (all six of them) struggle on a daily basis, each with their own set of issues.  And yet they are happy and willing to put forth the effort it takes just to get through a single day.  Speaking for myself and my family, we have learned more from my son, then we ever could have hoped to learn, had he not blessed us all with his presence.  We all tend to take things for granted and something like this makes us realize how lucky each and every one of us are.  Our complaints about traffic, getting up for work, having to wait in line etc etc are just so minimal and really not so important.  Yet most of us find ourselves doing just that.  This can certainly be a wake up call for that.
The song you wrote for my son was exactly the kind of music he likes to listen to.  I was impressed that you took not only the information you were given about his interests and his family members etc, but also the style of music he likes.  WoW you are amazing.  You deserve so much more than this silly email, but it's all I have to give you right now.  I want you to know how deeply appreciated you are.  I know that many of the children you write these songs for are in hospitals and some are dying.  That you give of yourself like this to these kids has made you a very special human being.  Do not know what your religious convictions are, am not always sure of my own, but I do know that you are a very special person and are blessed by God.  We are all blessed by God to have someone like you out there.  And yes this also goes to all those wonderful amazing people who work with you on this project of love.  Thank you so much to all of you.  And yes I do Thank God for people like you, out there in this sometimes ugly world we live in.  It's so comforting and reassuring to know that you are out there.  It gives us back our sometimes failing faith in human kind.
 
Keep up the amazing work.
 
Kim Davis
Frederick, MD

Monday, December 13, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 13th, 2010

Thank you for your continued support, even in these difficult financial times. Whether you made a car donation, donated time or donated money, you made a major difference, not only for our organization, but for the many children to whom we reach out every day. This brings us to the heart of the "Thank You Letter" segment on the blog. We want you to see the difference in the words of the children and families themselves. It really strengthens our faith that everyone is working with us to help. These thank you letters are as much to you as they are to our songwriters and the team that works every day to get the songs out to them. In essence - we thank you. If you would like more information on donating your car or funds or volunteering your time, please let us know. And now, today's thank you letter!





Hello John,
 
My name is Kim Davis, and my son Andrew is autistic.  He just graduated from Rock Creek School in Frederick MD this past Friday.
I wanted to say thank you for the song that you wrote especially for him, and also thanks to the singer on the song, Ernie Gold.   This is a wonderful thing you are doing.  I will tell you that this was a very emotional day and there were many tears in that room that night.  The kids in my son's graduating class (all six of them) struggle on a daily basis, each with their own set of issues.  And yet they are happy and willing to put forth the effort it takes just to get through a single day.  Speaking for myself and my family, we have learned more from my son, then we ever could have hoped to learn, had he not blessed us all with his presence.  We all tend to take things for granted and something like this makes us realize how lucky each and every one of us are.  Our complaints about traffic, getting up for work, having to wait in line etc etc are just so minimal and really not so important.  Yet most of us find ourselves doing just that.  This can certainly be a wake up call for that.
The song you wrote for my son was exactly the kind of music he likes to listen to.  I was impressed that you took not only the information you were given about his interests and his family members etc, but also the style of music he likes.  WoW you are amazing.  You deserve so much more than this silly email, but it's all I have to give you right now.  I want you to know how deeply appreciated you are.  I know that many of the children you write these songs for are in hospitals and some are dying.  That you give of yourself like this to these kids has made you a very special human being.  Do not know what your religious convictions are, am not always sure of my own, but I do know that you are a very special person and are blessed by God.  We are all blessed by God to have someone like you out there.  And yes this also goes to all those wonderful amazing people who work with you on this project of love.  Thank you so much to all of you.  And yes I do Thank God for people like you, out there in this sometimes ugly world we live in.  It's so comforting and reassuring to know that you are out there.  It gives us back our sometimes failing faith in human kind.
 
Keep up the amazing work.
 
Kim Davis
Frederick, MD

Friday, December 10, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 10th, 2010

We're ending the week on a high note here at Songs of Love with our latest letter! We are also ending the year on a high note, despite what ended up being a trying year financially. Through our car donation program and the support of people like you, we will make it to another year of making healing music for children dealing with terminal illnesses. We are, however, not out of the woods quite yet. We still need as much support as we can gather. If you are considering donating a car, please contact us for more information. This will ensure that 2011 is a successful, fruitful year - hopefully, we can bring the number of children we reach per year back up to our usual and increase outreach once again! Please remember - we can't do it alone.




Subject: Song for Kellen Walden

Good afternoon.  I wanted to share with you how absolutely delighted we are to have received your gift of song for my son, Kellen Walden.    The vocals, by Carl Allocco are incredible.  (We find ourselves humming to the tune long after the song is over). What an incredible gift this is! 
We have sent out an email introduction to our friends and family and hopefully they will be downloading and enjoying Kellen's tune very soon.  We certainly did.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this special service.    Your Team is really utilizing their talents to make a difference!  Not only does this lift the spirits of the child, but surely puts a smile on the face of the mom's, dad's, big brothers etc.    
Our son, Kellen, was ten years old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor on December 10, 2009.   On December 11, 2009 after a 9 hour emergency operation, a very talented surgeon and his Team removed 100% of the tumor.  Unfortunately, after the path reports came back, it was determined that it was malignant and a very very rare type.  Kellen underwent 4 rounds of chemo, and 30 cycles of proton radiation at the University of Florida in Jacksonville .  In late May, he finished his treatments;  and just today, he received the "all clear" sign from the doctor that his MRI is perfect!   It has been quite a journey but we have encountered a lot of love and compassion along the way.   Songs of Love was a huge "bright spot" for us.    
We know Kellen  will be well, and live a long and wonderful life.  Thanks for being a part of his recovery and making a difference.

Featured Child – Carolina Laboy Torres

10-year-old Carolina Laboy Torres is a cerebral palsy patient from Puerto Rico. She received her Song of Love in person on September 10th when John Beltzer came out to Puerto Rico to record the song with everyone at a fundraiser organized by Britney Vargas! Carolina loves to go shopping with her mom and dad and loves listening to music with her sister, Krystal, especially the music of Luis Fonsi. She also loves hanging out with her cousin Rafaelito and spending time with her dog, Violeta! We are so excited that we were able to give Carolina her very own song of love in person!

Featured Songwriter – Thomas Jones

Thomas Jones has been bringing his special brand of upbeat, lively music to Songs of Love for over 10 years! Writing music since he was 8 years old, Thomas is a graduate of Ithaca College and was part of the graduate music programs at the University of Southern California and Rutgers University. He currently records and performs with various artists, as well as producing for other artists, as well as for radio and television commercials. Thomas also has a website, kiddytunes.com, where you can hear his music and find out more about this personalized songs. Since he began working with Songs of Love, he has written almost 2,000 songs! We are thrilled to have Thomas as part of our team and thank him from the bottom of our hearts for the wonderful work he does for children every day!

Events & Other News

We are excited to announce that Steve Smith, wide receiver for the New York Giants, has joined our symphony! Steve will be posting about Songs of Love on his Facebook page, where he has 140,000 fans, as well as auctioning signed items for our charity. Steve will also be doing a video asking people to support Songs of Love. Steve, welcome to the Songs of Love family!















Another exciting addition to the Songs of Love family – this month, we are excited to announce that celebrity chef Marcel Cocit has joined us in our mission as a spokesperson and as a member of our advisory board. Recently, Marcel hosted cooking segments for CBS during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Check out video of the segment here! Welcome aboard, Marcel!













We are extremely excited and grateful for the $5,000 grant Songs of Love received this month from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Tri-State Area(RMHC) and the Child Welfare Foundation. Through their generous grant, we will be able to create personalized songs for many more children!















Songs of Love is excited to be included in the Second Edition of “Music As A Natural Resource Compendium: Solutions for Social and Economic Issues”, launched by the International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC) on September 30th, 2010. The compendium, which features 55 music projects from 33 countries, was presented at the National Arts Club to a large group that included people from the United Nations, government and the general public. The event was held to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UN HABITAT’s “Better City-Better Life” World Habitat Day Celebrations. The compendium is viewable on the United Nations website UNPAN (the United Nations Public Administration Network) - you can access it the UNPAN website.


On September 10th, Songs of Love founder John Beltzer and songwriter of love Carl Allocco made a trip to Puerto Rico for a fundraiser organized by Song of Love recipient Britney Vargas! Britney Vargas, a "songs of love" recipient herself, was so moved after she received her "song of love" back in 2008, that she decided to bring Songs of Love into her home town of Puerto Rico. For the past year she got busy organizing an online fundraiser through the Firstgiving program and raised over $4,000 for the Songs of Love Foundation! Britney then proceeded to organize an event in her home town of St. Germain and raised an additional $3,000! Songs of Love founder, John Beltzer, was invited to join the event at the St. Germain convention center and engaged the guests in the live recording of a "song of love" for 5-year-old cerebral palsy patient Carolina Torres.This is the first official "song of love" in Puerto Rico and will be the first of many as Britney and family will be instrumental in helping the Song of Love Foundation deliver many more "songs of Love" to the children of Puerto Rico.
The Songs of Love Foundation thanks Britney and the entire Vargas family for their support and wonderful hospitality!







On September 27th, we held our Annual Swing & Sing Golf Outing at Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg, NJ! Despite the rain, the golfers had a great time, teeing off to raise money for Songs of Love. Afterward, they gathered to record a song for a NJ child! Thank you to everyone who made it out for the exciting event!











On September 11th, Susanne Hodge of Orange Park, FL hosted a fundraiser and performance in Jacksonville, FL! Special thanks to Susanne for her enthusiasm and commitment to Songs of Love!


In November, SUNY Medical Center held a fundraiser for Songs of Love. Through their efforts, they raised $2000 for our organization, helping us to keep operating and bring songs to 8 more children! Our deepest thanks to SUNY Medical for this wonderful effort!


In November, Songs of Love had a special visit from Tito Ibarra, a recipient of a song of love! Tito first appeared on a local New York TV show in 1999 and received his song during the broadcast. 11 years later, he is doing great and has completely recovered from his leukemia! Tito was totally inspired by his "song of love" and, as a result, has gone on to become a recording engineer! During his visit, he teamed up with Songs of Love founder John Beltzer to write and record a song for 6-year-old Bodhi Moore of Emmett, ID.


In August, Scott Hunt, CEO of Hunt Brothers Pizza in Nashville, TN (http://www.huntbrotherspizza.com/), helped Songs of Love reach out to more people! At a NASCAR race at Watkins Glen, Scott and crew placed Songs of Love on the bumper of driver Elliott Sadler's car! Enormous thanks to Scott and Hunt Brothers Pizza for getting the word out on Songs of Love and, ultimately, helping us get songs out to many more children in need!




Christmas is just a couple of weeks away – be sure to download our Christmas ringtone to your phone! This cheerful tune is available thanks to our very own songwriter of love Donna Britton! You can download the song here!



Also, be sure to check out the Songs of Love Customized Jingles for Facebook! Visit our Facebook page and choose from 14 different jingles for different occasions to send to a Facebook friend!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 8th, 2010

Before we head to our letter of the day, we just want to give you a few tips on how to donate your car to charity if you are considering making this generous donation. You might be donating your car, vehicle or boat to charity to keep from the annoyance of selling your car, while also getting a bonus by being able to get a tax deduction as well. You can avoid some common pitfalls by avoiding middlemen, i.e. for-profit organizations advertise helping you with your car donation, as they tend to keep 50-90% of the car's value. In the end, the charity that gets the donation doesn't get very much of that donation. You should contact your favorite charities (such as Songs of Love's car donation program) directly.

Also, finding a charity that represent a cause you support is important. A great source for researching charities is online, with sites such as Charity Navigator.

We'll be giving more advice on making the most of your car donation in future posts, so stay tuned! It all goes towards our charitable goal of bring customized, personalized songs for healing to sick children, like the child mentioned below.



John and Songs of Love Team
 
Thanks again for the great personalized CD, written by Thomas Jones, for our daughter Amelia Jane Mazour.  She loves to dance every night to the song and it makes us all smile.  Thanks for all you do in helping these kids still be kids, even though they are  faced with life’s toughest challenges.  We finally got a decent photo of Amelia hugging her CD and thought we would share.
 
Thanks again for your generosity.
 
Mark and Lottie Mazour

Monday, December 6, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 6th, 2010

The new year is just weeks away! If you're in the market for a new car, consider donating your old car to Songs of Love! By donating your car, you are helping us fund many songs for sick children all over the world. A car donation goes a long way, as it costs us $250 to write, record and produce an original, personalized songs for a child dealing with a life-threatening or chronic illness. If you're still not sure if you should donate your car, please read the letter below from the family of one of the thousands of children we have helped over the past 14 years. Best of all, your car donation is tax-deductible!



I just wanted to thank everyone there for making the song of love song for Jacob Covil. He loves it and so does his little sisters of course since they are named in it. They all dance around like crazy. It is such a beautiful song everytime I listen to it I tear up. Thank you for making our rough times special with this CD. I can't not tell you how thankful I am.
 
Thank you!
 
The Covil Family

Friday, December 3, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 3rd, 2010

As the weekend approaches, we are reminded of how many young lives we affect in the work we do with the letter we bring to you today. The holiday season, and thus the end of the year, is upon us. As we work to bring Songs of Love into a new year, we are still facing financial difficulties. Please consider donating your car, your time or making a monetary donation if you can to help make music for another year and for years to come. The letters from the kids and families who have received songs are a testament to the impact of music on their young lives. A $250 goes to fund one song, while a car donation helps fund several songs for several children! Make a difference today!




Dear Thomas,
 
My son Justin has attended Sibshops in Seattle for six years now and he has come home with many terrific craft items and stories of his time with other kids whose sib has special needs. Nothing quite compares to the DVD he came home with this month! I knew they had worked on some writing about their sibs and that a DVD was going to be made but I thought it was a collective about the kids. On the way home when we listened to your song, echoing Justin’s words and feelings about his sis, Carrie, I got all teary. Grateful that Justin has a safe, caring place to share his feelings, proud that he has such love and pride in her – despite – no because of - her many challenges, and curious about the wonderful people behind the songs!
 
Bless you for bringing to life a brother’s love for his sister. He knows her well! Purple and string and water and Barney and mac and cheese and Missy Me and that everyone loves her. I’m going to attempt to send you a pic so you see the girl that inspired him.
 
Again, thank you so very much.
 
Lynn Vigo

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"Thank You" Letters - December 1st, 2010

A car donation or a cash donation can make a world of difference to one (or many!) sick children! The cost to underwrite a "song of love" is $250 - make a donation today to help a child receive a song. If you would like to donate a car instead, you'll be helping out several children! Plus, with a car donation or a monetary donation, you could qualify for a tax-deduction!

Today's letter is another illustration of the power of music and the real healing you are giving every time you donate.


Thank you so much for making my son, Will, a songs of love song. He really enjoyed listening to it and we played it at his birthday party and our family and friends thought it was just so great. My son passed away November 11, 2008 due to liver failure from complications from Leukemia. We played Will’s song at his services and put it to pictures of him. I still listen to it and think about him and remember how he looked when he heard it for the first time. He was proud. I will cherish this song always. Below is a link to the song to his pics.