St. Louis Kindergartener Pens Song for Make-A-Wish and Her School Sings Along

At first, the song Springtime in Saint Louis sounds like just a catchy song about the season. But in between its lyrics on our city’s fickle weather and our favorite baseball team, lies hope for hundreds of children in the region. And the compassion of a dad and his daughter who were inspired by their stories.

In 2010, Maryland Heights musician and business owner, Tony Pope, and his daughter, Maddy, began working together on a little number about the highs and lows of St. Louis in the springtime. But when their lives were overrun by work and school, the song was shelved.

Fast forward to 2011 – Pope ran into an old friend who shared that his daughter was undergoing treatment for a critical lung disorder. Upon hearing the story and sharing it with Maddy, now in kindergarten, the two felt compelled to do something, anything, to help children in similar conditions. That’s when the light bulb went on – why not finish their song and sell it to raise money to help Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions? With that motivation, “Springtime in Saint Louis” was off and running.

Explained Pope, “Springtime was coming around again, and we thought it would be a great song to cheer people up. Right now it’s crazy in the spring with all the bad weather, but brighter days are ahead. It’s like that for kids who are sick – even though they’re going through a rough time, it’s going to get better. That’s really the whole theory of the song.”

Once finished, the father-and-daughter duo recorded the song at Street Dreamz Recording Studio and posted the MP3 and accompanying video to www.springtimeinsaintlouis.com. Through the site, individuals can download the song in exchange for a donation of their discretion to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

According to John Wolff, communications manager for Make-A-Wish in St. Louis, the organization expects to grant 270 wishes this year for children who are at least 2 ½ years old, younger than age 18, and have a doctor’s note saying their conditions are life-threatening. While 40% of wishes are for trips to Disney World, other wishes range from having a horse to meeting the President to donating food to a food bank in a wish teen’s community.

To make wishes come true for these incredibly brave children, it’s up to people and businesses right here in St. Louis. “Donations by Tony Pope and other good people and individuals are so important because they make wishes possible,” said Wolff via email. “Large corporate donations have been dramatically reduced because of the economy, so having people like Tony step in and raise money for our foundation is more important than ever.”

A second life for “Springtime”

In addition to the Popes’ recording, Springtime in Saint Louis became a cover track when a group of third graders from Maddy’s school – McKelvey Elementary – performed the song at a schoolwide assembly and recorded a new version at Street Dreamz.

The contributions of these students struck a chord with the songwriters.

“It was great of these kids to give of themselves in a fun and artistic way,” said Pope. “When  kids do something profound at such a young age, they’ll always remember in the back of their minds that helping out other people is good.”

“We’ve got local St. Louis kids who are going through some rough times – they can’t go outside, they can’t play with others, they’re feeling pretty lonely. Through the song, we wanted to show there are a lot of kids that care about them – not just one or two. We’re doing our part to show you we care, we want you to get better, and that we’re supporting you.”

You can check out the McKelvey video now on YouTube, or you can download your own copy of the Popes’ song and make a donation to Make-A-Wish at www.springtimeinsaintlouis.com. To learn more about helping Make-A-Wish make dreams come true for local children, visit www.mo.wish.org or call 314-721-9474.

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting