Give a gift that also helps local organizations

Nov 28, 2008 (Winston-Salem Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WB | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- People can give twice with their holiday purchases by supporting local nonprofit organizations, such as Brenner Children's Hospital, that sell items that can be given as holiday gifts. Here is a list of some of the organizations and the items that are available this season:

a' Brenner Children's Hospital and local artist John Furches are selling holiday cards through the Development and Alumni Affairs office and area retailers. Proceeds will benefit Brenner Children's Hospital. The cards, titled "Holiday Wreath," cost $10 a box, or $8 a box for purchases of 10 boxes or more. There are 10 cards and envelopes per box. A picture of the card and distribution information are at www.brennerchildrens.org. For more information, call 336-716-7985.

a' Crisis Control Ministry helps meet the emergency needs of people in financial crisis by providing assistance with such things as utilities, fuel, housing, food and prescription medicine. It is selling Holiday Honor Cards, designed by William Mangum, that give the gift of time -- let them send out your holiday cards for you. For a minimum donation of $5 a card, Crisis Control Ministry will hand address, stamp with a holiday stamp and mail the cards. Mail card orders, along with recipient list and a check, to: Crisis Control Ministry, 200 E. 10th St., Winston- Salem, NC 27101. For credit-card orders, call Judie Holcomb-Pack at 336-724-7875, ext. 1040, e-mail jholcomb-pack@crisiscontrol.org or order online at www.crisiscontrol.org. Honor Cards are also available at all Wachovia branch locations.

a' The Enrichment Center, an arts-based nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities, is selling packaged and individual holiday cards featuring artwork by the center's visual artists. The cards, which can be bought in the center's Gateway Gallery, cost $10 for a package of 12 or $1 each. Hand-painted and silk-screened holiday cards are also available. The gallery also features original art and fine crafts ranging from $1 to $75. All proceeds will benefit the center's artists and arts program. Gateway Gallery is at 1006 S. Marshall St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 777-0076, ext. 238.

a' Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County will offer donors who give $25 or more a mantel tree ornament. Donors can pick up their ornaments at Habitat's office at 339 Witt St. or have their ornaments mailed as a gift with the additional cost of shipping and handling. Order before Dec. 15 to ensure holiday delivery. If a person makes a contribution of $5 to $24, a card will be sent to an honoree. The proceeds will help Habitat serve more families in 2009. For more information, call 336-765-8854, ext. 106.

a' Hospice & Palliative Care-Center is a nonprofit organization that provides medical, emotional, spiritual and social support to patients with a life-threatening illness and their families. This year, it is raising money through its Light Up a Life Ornament Celebration. People can make a donation to hospice in honor or in memory of someone and receive an ornament to give as a gift. For a donation of $15, the donor will receive a crocheted ornament with a tag attached bearing the honoree's name. For $45, the donor will receive hospice's handmade porcelain bell inscribed with the honoree's name. For a donation of $100 or more, the donor will receive a porcelain ball inscribed with the name. Gold-toned stands used to display the ornament are also available for $5. For more information, call 336-768-3972.

a' The Piedmont Land Conservancy is selling honor cards and a coffee-table photography book of local protected land to raise money for land conservation. The cards feature local landscapes, flora and fauna and are available for $10 each for a giver to honor or memorialize someone; the book, Forever These Lands, is $29.95 plus tax. Piedmont Land Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that helps protect natural and scenic lands, farms and open space across nine counties in North Carolina's Piedmont to enrich the quality of life for communities and future generations. Visit www.piedmontland.org or call 336-691-0088.

a' Reynolda Gardens will sell holiday flowering plants throughout the holiday season. Different foliage and flowering plants will be available, such as paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis grown in the greenhouse, cyclamen, poinsettias and orchids from $12 to $36. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the greenhouse. Proceeds will benefit Reynolda Gardens' educational programs and garden maintenance. Call 336-758-5593.

a' The Ronald McDonald House will sell luminarias through Dec. 24 to raise money for the house, which provides a home away from home for families who bring sick children to Winston-Salem for medical treatment. Luminaria kits are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday at the Ronald McDonald House, 419 S. Hawthorne Road, and at area Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods. For more information and to find other locations, visit www.rmhwinstonsalem.org or call 336-723-0228, ext. 60. Each kit sells for $5 and contains materials for six luminaria (sand, candles and white bags).

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