Central Park Conservancy

A surprise Halloween snowstorm devastated New York's Central Park; the combination of heavy snow, leafy limbs, and high winds sent hundreds of trees crashing to the ground.  The
Central Park Conservancy's restoration efforts -- including removal of more than 1,000 trees -- will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You can support the Conservancy's work by sending their holiday cards this year.  They have several new designs: I can't decide which I like best: this image of the Bethesda Fountain in the snow:

Bethesda Fountain
Central Park Conservancy

or this view of the Mall:

The Mall
Central Park Conservancy

Both cards are available blank or with a "Celebrate The Beauty Of The Holidays" message.

Anne

Paperworks Studio

At Michigan's Paperworks Studio, artisans with special needs use blue jeans, coffee, rose petals, vintage wool, and other materials to create soft, smooth handmade paper.  The Studio's workers then transform the paper into greeting cards, which can be personalized with high-quality printing or embossing. 

Falling Flakes
Paperworks Studio

They offer several holiday designs.  I especially like Falling Flakes, which shines with blue, silver, or gold metallic accents on pewter or red paper.

Snowing Rose Petals
Paperworks Studio

Crushed flowers give Snowing Rose Petals a special flecked texture.  The back of each card describes Paperworks Studio's mission.

The Studio is based in Traverse City, Michigan and is a nonprofit program of Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan.  You can see a two-minute video about the program here.

Anne

Veterans Day

Homes for Our Troops

Veterans Day is a good time to highlight the charities on our site that support men and women who serve in the military: Homes for Our Troops, Puppies Behind Bars, and For the Troops.

Homes for Our Troops gives specially adapted homes to severely injured veterans at no cost to the military families.  Its holiday cards are sold in packs of ten; each card represents a $10 donation.  ($20 single cards are also available.)  Charity Navigator has awarded Homes for Our Troops its highest 4-star rating.  To see its cards, click here.

For the Troops
(sender's name to be inserted in box on card)

If you're looking for standard (non-tribute) holiday cards, one option is For the Troops, an all-volunteer non-profit organization that sends care packages filled with basic necessities, along with letters of appreciation, to front line troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Card orders must go through this link in order for For the Troops to receive 20% of your order price.  (You can order any cards on the CardsDirect site, not just the designs on the For the Troops page that appears when you click the link.)

Puppies Behind Bars

Puppies Behind Bars trains inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled, guide dogs for the blind, and explosive detection canines for law enforcement.  Through its Dog Tags program, PBB donates fully trained service dogs to wounded soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Its cards are here.

Anne                                                   

Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee



Newhall Street by David Lenz
Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee

Are you looking for holiday cards for your Wisconsin-based business?  The Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, a wonderful organization that has been feeding the hungry since 1974, is offering three new designs this year and will imprint a custom greeting and return envelopes for a small fee. 

Local artists donated the card art and local sponsors underwrote the production costs, so the entire cost of the cards goes directly to feeding needy families.

Winter Tree by Nick Wroblewski
Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee

One of the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee's many effective programs is its 150-acre historic work farm, which yields 300,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables -- as well as fish and honey -- each year.  The Task Force delivers this produce free of charge to the hungry. 

My mother grew up in Waukesha, just west of Milwaukee, so I have special affection for this charity.

Anne