Page 23 - Priorities #12 2000-April

that’s good. You have the opportunity to share and learn about a lot of denominations. Get to know each other!,” he encouraged the group.
Dean Leh, Director of Campus Ministry, worked with Melendez at a New York concert that drew nearly half a million teenagers in the 1980s, shortly after Tony received national coverage singing for Pope John Paul II in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles appearance was “an unforgettable moment,” Dean said. Pope John was so moved by the performance that he leaped from the four-foot podium, dashed across the stage and kissed Tony on the cheek, Dean said. The song Melendez performed, Never Be The Same, gained national attention.
His television appearances include The Today Show, Good Morning America, Geraldo, CBS This Morning, The Late Show with Arsenio Hall, 700 Club, Robert Schuller, and prime-time network specials.
He has received numerous awards and honors, including the first annual Inspirational Hero Award from the NFL Alumni Association at Super Bowl XXIII in Miami. His autobiography, A Gift of Hope, published in 1989 by Harper & Row, was re-released
His “mission” was to encourage his audience to respect their power, their individuality and their integrity.
in 1997 by Toe Jam Music, Melendez’s production company
Currently, Melendez lives in Branson, Missouri with his wife, Lynn, five-year-old daughter, Marissa, and two-year-old son, Andres. A daily television show, Gift of Hope, limits his opportunity to travel. His family, and the family of his brother, Jose, accompanied the music group on its tour of the Bay Area.
Tony has several CDs available through his production company, Toe Jam Music, Inc. and a book, A Gift of Hope, published in 1989 and 1996 by Angelus Media Publications. The book and his CD, Hands in Heaven, are available in the school bookstore, thanks to the generosity of a parent who wanted to make them available.
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Photo courtesy of Evelyn Zappia, Catholic SF