Zackary McGowan

In March of this year, longtime songwriter of love Carl Allocco wrote a song for Zackary McGowan, a 7-year old boy battling Neurofibromatosis. In May, we received a newspaper clipping in the mail detailing a display that Zackary put up at his local SunTrust Bank in Mebane, North Carolina. The display was dedicated to raising funds for Songs of Love! Immediately upon reading this article, we called Zackary to thank him, and quickly felt the warmth of his big heart. You can click here to read this article from the Mebane Enterprise. Listen to Zack's tune and a bunch of our other favorites on the Songs of Love Jukebox

Featured Songs of Love Child - Cole Harris (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

Two-year-old Cole Harris lives in Illinois with his mother, father, and new baby brother Jack. He loves all his family, including his cousin Corin, Grandma Beth and Grandma Sally, and his Poppa Chuck, who all provide an incredible amount of love and support as he battles retinoblastoma. He is an active child who is on the go "from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed," and loves to read every night. The letter below was sent in by his parents. Click here to listen to his song, written by Frances Drost, and many other great "songs of love."

Carl Allocco - Featured Songwriter of Love (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

Carl Allocco first heard about Songs of Love in a newspaper ad back in 1996. He immediately called John Beltzer and jumped on board. To date, he has written more than 2,000 "songs of love" for as many children, and continues to jump at the opportunity to write more every day. Carl's musical career began in the 80's, playing an eclectic rock style reminiscent not only of the Beatles but also of bands gaining popularity at the time. Carl has travelled the world playing his music, and has been fortunate enough to have recorded and played with legends such as The Ramones, Rick Danko (The Band), and many others. In addition to being one of the longest-standing "songwriters of love," Carl helps to maintain our website, and on a daily basis serves as an advisor to the Songs of Love team both on a logical and spiritual level. He is also the creator of the popular iPhone application iRunes, a high-tech oracle from which one seeks advice. iRunes is available on the iTunes app store, and 10% of the proceeds will go towards the Songs of Love Foundation. More information on Carl can be found at his website, www.carlallocco.com.

Carl Allocco is one of more than 100 songwriters of love, and we look forward to featuring all of them in future newsletters.

Fundraising Initiatives (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

Like many other charities all over the country, Songs of Love is struggling to earn every penny, while still using each cent to its fullest potential. Though funding is down across the board, we are still dedicated to honoring each and every request for a "song of love" that comes in, and our songwriters are writing every word and playing every note with all the passion and love that you would expect. In an environment such as this one, Songs of Love needs to find new and exciting ways to raise funds so that we can continue to write songs for all the kids, and that is just what we are doing.

Text "Song" to 85944 to donate $5 to the Songs of Love Foundation and make a child smile! You can text it on your own, or add the previous sentence to your email signature. Or, if you are ever speaking in a public venue, you can take 5 minutes to tell the audience about Songs of Love, and ask them all to send the text message, making a one-time donation of $5. Even small donations like this one, when added up, make a large impact on the lives of the children we serve.

Applying for the Songs of Love Capital One Visa Card is a great way to get money for Songs of Love while you shop! On your first purchase, $25 will be donated to Songs of Love at no extra cost to you. After that, 1% of each purchase is donated to Songs of Love. On top of that, there is no interest on purchases made until May 2010! Just click here to apply for our card. Just think, if ten people use our card and make one purchase, that will sponsor a "song of love" for one very special child.

Happy Birthday John! (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

Songs of Love Founder and President John Beltzer will be celebrating his 50th Birthday on September 8! In honor of this milestone birthday, we hope that you can donate $1 for every year that he has been alive. Those of you that know John are aware that he eats, sleeps and breathes Songs of Love, and a gift such as this one would mean more than anything else. You can make your donation by clicking below. Donate Now

Laura Duda and Blythe Philip - Featured Songs of Love Hospital Advisory Board Members (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

Laura Duda, Child Life Specialist, and Blythe Philip, Music Therapist, of Children's Hospital of Michigan have referred over 250 children to Songs of Love since the year 2000. Their dedication has brought joy to many children and families.

Other News (Fall 2009 Newsletter)

On May 29, Songs of Love held a benefit concert at B.B. King's Blues' Club in New York City featuring Matt Cusson, Javier and Billy Porter. During the concert the audience members helped finish a "song of love" for Britney Vargas who is battling a kidney ailment. This marked the 19,000th "song of love" and made a wonderful girl very happy.

On July 11, we recorded a "song of love" at the Montgomery Gentry concert in Altamont, New York, held by WGNA Country Fest. The song, for Zachery DeLoach, was written and performed by Montgomery Gentry keyboardist Eddie Kilgallon, and a greeting was added on to the song by the brothers Gentry.

Another fundraising event was held in Jacksonville, Florida, hosted by Susanne Hodge, Music Messenger, and the Orange Blossom Country Music Association Singers. They helped perform a song written by John Beltzer for 3-year-old Kinsey Tumlin, and also presented songs written by Mike & Netha Schrimpf to Shawn Shortridge (14), and to Samantha Fross (5) written by William Sherry.

By late October or early November, we are on track to reach our 20,000th Song of Love! Planning is still underway for how we will celebrate this milestone, and which special child will receive the song! Keep an eye out for any updates on this event!

This quarter, songwriters of love Tim Bongiovanni and Rick Tell both reached their 100th "songs of love." We wish to thank them for their hard work and dedication, and look forward to many, many more.

We have also welcomed Eric Vinson, Jeremi Morris and Danny Smith to our songwriting team, all from the Nashville area of Tennessee. We are honored to have them writing for us, as they will surely be bringing many smiles to children everywhere.

We are also still accepting car donations through our
Children Are Receiving Songs (CARS) Program.


Please click here for more information.

Golfers Come Together to "Swing and Sing" for Songs of Love

On September 16, 2009, Songs of Love held its 11th annual "Swing and Sing" golf outing in Franklyn, NJ. After the golfers returned to the cluhouse from a day at the course they all added their voices on a "song of love" for 5-year-old Grace Giannotti who is battling cancer.

Watch the video of this wonderful event!.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32762331/ns/today-today_participate

Songs of Love introduces the "Raising Funds, Raising Voices!" School Program!

As part of the Songs of Love Foundation's "Raising Funds, Raising Voices!" program, your school can record a one-of-a-kind uplifting personalized song for a sick child and help raise funds for Songs of Love. We invite you to join countless other groups who have become stars in their own right. A recent Songs of Love event prompted Lauren, a Piscataway H.S. Student, to state "It is not just giving money, I don't know of any other organization like it!"