One day in 1953, Winnetka’s Hadley School for the Blind was down to its last $500. Members of the school’s Women’s Board were trying to figure out how to raise money when Nancy Jones hit on an idea.
“I ran to the printer, had him make up something in red and put the Hadley logo on it,” she recalls.
Simple but effective, this card, the first created by a Midwest charity, went on to sell 150,000 copies.
Since then, the idea has caught on in a big way, as not-for-profit groups of all stripes have come to rely on Christmas card sales to help fund their worthy missions.
Following is a sampling of hospitals, charities and other service organizations that sell salutations of good cheer for a good cause. (Prices listed are for the smallest quantity available and do not include shipping or imprinting costs.):
– Alzheimer’s Association offers three watercolor designs, created by people with Alzheimer’s disease, and 13 other traditional Christmas designs. A box of 25 sells for $19 to $25. Call: 708-933-2413.
– American Brain Tumor Association, which funds research for this disease, markets 15 designs. A box of 25 sells for $18.50. Call: 708-827-9910.
– American Heart Association of Metropolitan Chicago sells a card featuring embossed white hearts accented with a red ribbon. A box of 25 cards is $25. Call: 312-346-4675.
– Anti-Cruelty Society offers two designs: color photos of a dog on ice skates or white kittens on a piano keyboard. A box of 17 cards sells for $20. Call: 644-8338, ext. 301.
– Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago features cards produced by its Dr. King Club, located on the city’s West Side. Offered is a card featuring a black-and-white photograph of a mural on the club’s entrance depicting Martin Luther King. A box of 10 cards costs $7. Call: 312-638-5464.
– Center for Enriched Living, which provides educational, recreational and social programs for mentally retarded people, offers cards sealed with a gold-colored emblem and ribboned bookmarks designed by residents of the Deerfield-based community. A box of 10 cards and 10 bookmarks sells for $25. Call: 708-948-7001.
– Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability has commissioned a watercolor of three pears by artist Sonia Stark for its card this year. Proceeds benefit the agency’s Meals on Wheels program, which provides hot meals to more than 4,000 elderly or otherwise homebound people on each of six holidays throughout the year. Cards cost $2.50 each or $20 for a box of eight. Call: 312-744-2120.
– Children’s Memorial Hospital benefits from the sale of 13 card designs, including a Hanukkah greeting, that were created by patients at the Lincoln Park pediatric hospital. Cards are $16.95 for 20 and are available at several area department stores. Call: 312-880-8212.
– Citizens for Trailside Museum, located in River Forest, rehabilitates injured and abandoned wildlife. The museum offers a card with a black-and-white drawing of the white-footed mouse nibbling on a candy cane. Ten cards sell for $8. Call: 708-795-5350.
– The Cradle in Evanston is the only adoption agency in the country to maintain an on-site nursery. Since 1923, 13,000 children have been placed by the group. Services are offered to birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees. Three traditional card designs are available. A box of 25 costs $30. Call: 708-733-3235.
– Greater Chicago Food Depository, which distributes food to 550 pantries, shelters and soup kitchens, has a card design of seasonal fruit on a plate, created by Chicago artist Martha Jannotta. The cost is $15 for a box of 10. Call: 312-247-3663.
– Hadley School for the Blind sells a wood-block print of an old-fashioned house decorated with holiday trim. The greeting is in both Braille and conventional print. A box of 25 cards costs $20. Call: 708-446-8111, ext. 249.
– Heifer Project International provides income-producing animals for low-income families in rural areas throughout the world. The card designs include a cozy group of farm animals, a folk art wreath set against a background of peace spelled out in many languages and an illustration by Louise Britton of Noah’s snow-tipped ark bedecked for Christmas. The cards start at $8.50 for a box of 20. Call: 800-422-0474.
– Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is the state’s only public residential school. Located in Aurora, the school, for gifted children grades 10 through 12, features a card designed by Juanita Garcia, 17, a senior at IMSA. A box of 20 cards is $15. Call: 708-907-5040.
– Lamb’s Farm, a community in Libertyville for mentally retarded children and adults, produces all of its cards in its own silk-screen shop. Five of its 14 card designs were illustrated by Lamb’s Farm residents. The price is $7.50 for 10. Call: 800-525-2627.
– La Rabida Children’s Hospital and Research Center, located in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood, provides care for children with chronic illnesses. It also has a program for abused and neglected children. Four traditionally designed cards are priced from $38 for a box of 25. Call: 312-363-6700, ext. 383.
– Lawrence Hall Youth Services offers six card designs crafted by abused, neglected or homeless children served by the residential community, located on Chicago’s North Side. The cards, printed at Lawrence Hall, start at $15 for 25. Call: 312-769-3590.
– Leukemia Research Foundation Inc. offers 14 traditional cards. Prices start at $23 for a box of 25. Call: 708-599-5778.
– Little City Foundation, a Palatine-based organization, offers a collection of 12 different designs, including a Kwanzaa greeting. Proceeds benefit employment and recreational services, and housing. A box of 25 cards is $18. Call: 708-358-5510.
– MK Rainbow Therapy Dog Club devotes the proceeds of its Christmas card sales to its Special Dogs. . .Special Kids program, which helps physically, mentally and emotionally disabled children through animal-assisted therapy and activities. Four black and white drawings are available. The price is $5 for a box of eight. A calendar for $10 also is available. Call: 312-283-1129.
– Open Hand Chicago delivers 1,300 free meals each evening to men, women and children in Chicago with HIV/AIDS. Baltimore artist Mike McConnell contributed four full-color illustrations, including an icy winterscape and golden birds in a treehouse. A box of 12 cards is $16. Call: 312-665-1000.
– Partners in Education has solicited creative works from students taking part in its tutoring program at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Children from Cabrini Green, ages 8 through 12, contributed pictures of Santa, a snowman, a Christmas tree and other holiday themes. Cards are $10 for a box of 12. Call: 312-787-4570.
– Ronald McDonald House provides low-cost housing for families visiting hospitalized children. Six watercolor scenes by Pat Coffman-Huss are available. Proceeds go to three facilities in the Chicago area, including a Ronald McDonald House that recently opened in Maywood. Cards are $25 for a box of 25. Call: 312-324-5437.
– The Seeing Eye, founded in 1929, has matched more than 11,000 specially bred and trained seeing eye dogs with blind men and women from throughout North America. The group’s holiday card this year features a hand-tinted photo of a German shepherd, Labrador retriever and golden retriever puppies in a wicker basket set against a background of red poinsettias. Cards are $12 for a box of 20. Call: 201-539-4425.
– SIDS Alliance of Illinois Inc., which researches Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, markets eight card designs, starting at $15 for a box of 20. Call: 312-987-1177.
– Starlight Foundation, which grants wishes for hospitalized children, offers four designs, including one of a skater created by Jasmine Collins, a young artist sponsored by the Marwen Foundation, a Chicago organization that works with underprivileged youths. Ten cards sell for $10. Call: 312-251-7827.
– United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised more than $500 million since introducing its first cards in 1949. More than 40 designs are available, some of which are crafted by children who have benefited from UN programs. Proceeds go toward basic health care, immunization, education, clean water and sanitation, and emergency assistance in 140 developing countries. Card prices start at $8.50 for 10. Call: 312-670-2379.
– Wyler Children’s Hospital has three Christmas cards designed by patients, including a crayon drawing of Santa Claus. Cards are $11 for a box of 20. Call: 312-702-9200.
