The national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is singing the praises of Sarasota architect and general contractor Ed Stroop, thanks to two CDs he’s produced to raise money for the medical research organization.

A musician since his youth (he and a friend won grand prize in a national songwriting contest while in architecture school at the University of Florida), Stroop is so committed to helping find a cure for cystic fibrosis that he founded a music publishing company called Song House Records to produce the CDs, which he distributes under the banner Artist for a Cure.

In 2004, the title song he co-wrote for the first CD, One Step Closer, became the anthem for CFF’s national Great Strides campaign. (Last year Great Strides walkathons raised more than $40 million for research into the disease.) The CD has sold nearly 10,000 copies, he says, with 100 percent of profits going to CFF. The second CD, Strong, was released last fall.

Stroop is owner of a design-build company that specializes in commercial construction and residential remodeling in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Among his recent projects are the Canvas Café in Towles Court and the Clark Road Animal Clinic, Sarasota’s only 24-hour veterinary hospital.

“My first son, who’s now 17, has CF, and, as a dad, you want to do something to help,” Stroop says. “I did all the golf tournaments and all the normal things; then I decided to combine my passion for music and my passion to find a cure.” He sought songwriters and artists from all around the world to contribute to both CDs.

“Music definitely moves the soul,” Stroop, who plays the guitar, drums and piano, says. “It can move people and give them optimism. It’s a tough disease, but I see from the reviews that it gives people a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

Both CDS can be purchased through the online music distributor, www.cdbaby.com, or through www.cff.org.