SINGING FOR A CAUSE

Over the years, many daytime soap actors have demonstrated their vocal skills on the small screen. And even though Jerry Douglas, who plays John Abbott on “The Young and the Restless,” has yet to display his singing voice on screen, the actor has done so on a recently completed cassette.

“Love Songs Just for You” features eight songs, including the romantic favorites “In the Wee Small Hours,” “The Most Beautiful Girl,” “For Once in My Life,” “The Way We Were” and “She Believes in Me,” which is a personal favorite of Douglas. “ ‘She Believes in Me’ has always been a song I’ve really liked,” says the actor. “It was a lot of fun to get the chance to put it on tape.”

Douglas will be donating half of the profits from the sale of the cassette to “Jeff’s Companion Animal Shelter,” an organization that pairs unwanted and abandoned dogs and other animals with the elderly. Jeff, the dog for whom the shelter is named, is the international symbol of companion animals. Over the past year, Douglas has traveled around the country making appearances with Jeff, raising money and awareness to help the shelter and the program.

“I’ve visited many nursing homes with Jeff and other dogs,” says Douglas. “It’s amazing how excited the residents get upon seeing them, playing with them and petting them. These animals bring these people to life. If I can help bring more of that about through the sale of this tape, I’ll be very happy.”

Those who are interested in obtaining a copy of the cassette should keep an eye out for order information in daytime magazine ads.

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“Determined” is certainly one way to describe Eileen Fulton, who has played Lisa Mitchell on “As the World Turns” for more than three decades. Fulton braved the high winds and rain of the infamous northeaster last November to get to a recording studio on New York’s Long Island. There, she recorded her 11-song album “The First Kiss” in one session.

“The musicians couldn’t get over it,” remembers Fulton. “They told me that they had never worked with anyone before who could do that. The musicians kept calling me ‘One-Take Fulton.”’ After her recording session, Fulton was forced to spend the night in a motel; the severe storm made it impossible for her to get back to her Manhattan apartment.

The album, available now, includes the title song, “The First Kiss,” along with such romantic standards as “My Old Flame,” “Embraceable You,” “Cry Me a River” and “Since I Fell for You.”