IN 1985, a Los Angeles radio disc jockey named Sonny Melendrez heard a child?s voice singing ?We Are the World? on his radio as he was waking up one day. He thought it was such a great idea to have a kid singing the song, and regretted not having hatched it himself. However, that voice didn?t belong to a child?it belonged to Michael Jackson. He then sprang out of bed and called his producer with the idea. That?s how the Children of the World Project began.

The project aimed to gather 50 of the most talented children from Southern California to form a choir that would record (and then later on, perform) ?We Are the World? to help USA for Africa, an organization that would help the hungry in Ethiopia.

This all happened in the spring of 1985. Gerard and I were spending our summer vacation in Los Angeles with family when we heard about the auditions, and on a whim, gave it a shot.

There were two tryouts held: a general audition where over a thousand children and teenagers were present. All of us wore a number, and in groups of 10, would stand in front of the audition panel. One by one, each kid would sing the chorus of ?We Are the World.? After the last child sang, the group would be ushered out, and then another group would come in. Gerard and I were in separate groups.

The next audition was a callback. On this day, a few of the kid celebrities participating in the project came to see us: Alyssa Milano and Danny Pintauro of TV series ?Who?s The Boss,? and most of the cast of Kids Incorporated (which at the time included Martika whose hits include ?I Feel the Earth Move? and ?Toy Soldiers;? and Stacy Ferguson, now known as Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas).

The location of the callbacks was different, but the mechanics remained more or less the same: a small group of kids in a line in front of the audition panel, with each kid singing the chorus of ?We Are The World.? Again, Gerard and I were in separate groups.

Days later, Sonny personally phoned each child who made it into the final 50. When that call was made, I answered the phone:

?Hello??

?May I please speak to Gerard please??

?This is his sister, Lea??

?Okay, one moment...?

Sonny got on the phone.

?Hi, Lea!?

?Hi!?

?Guess what? you made it!?

?I made it?! Oh my God! Mama, I made it!?

?You made it, too?

I then started screaming like a banshee for a few seconds, then passed the phone to my brother (I was still screaming during his conversation with Sonny):

?Hello??

?Hey, Gerard? your sister made it??

?Yeah??

?And so did you!?

?Really?! Wow! Oh? oh? thanks a lot!?

Rehearsals at St. James Church began in earnest soon after the phone calls were made. Martha Woodhull would be our vocal coach, and teach us our parts. She grouped us according to our vocal quality: belters in one section, sopranos in another, and so forth. More of the celebrity kids then joined us: Kim Fields (?The Facts of Life?); Danielle Brisebois (a member of the original Broadway cast of ?Annie,? and was on television in ?Archie Bunker?s Place?); Glenn Scarpelli (?One Day at a Time?); Brittny and Valencia Jackson (two of Michael Jackson?s nieces, daughters of his brother Marlon); and Alfonso Ribeiro (?The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?). These rehearsals were hilarious. After the work was done for the day, an impromptu autograph and photo session took place. Hey, there were tons of celebrities there! I still have that autograph book in my mother?s house somewhere.

The recording session took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Hollywood. Over the course of an entire day (and with video cameras rolling as solos and groups were recording) the song was put on tape. George Duke, our producer, was at the soundboard giving instructions, with Martha in the studio conducting. Larger groups were recorded first, then small groups and duets, and finally solos. Oh? our recording was later nominated for a Grammy!

A music video for the song was filmed at Griffith Park, which included most of the kids who auditioned for the recording, plus a few others. Imagine an entire hillside filled with children!

There were a few performances that Gerard and I participated in? one for Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, and another at Magic Mountain. We couldn?t do each and every appearance, however, as it came time for us to return to Manila for the start of school.

My memories of the Children of the World Project will always be special. This project brought together a group of talented kids for a great cause. A 25th Anniversary television special is being planned? I?d love to be part of it, if only to see Sonny to give him my thanks, and to reconnect with some of the kids that Gerard and I sang with.

To read more about the project, visit http://childrenoftheworldproject.com.