Gift card fund raising

CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR, unless you are a volunteer for the American Diabetes Association Gift of Hope Program.

Since 1970, the program has been selling holiday greeting cards to raise money for diabetes research. For some volunteers, the seasonal catalog has evolved into a year-round commitment--one that raises more than $1 million annually for research.

"This is a complex business with more than $3 million a year in revenue and just two employees," says Mary Ollhoff, who chairs the program. "Now that we're developing more of our own exclusive products, it's nonstop action."

Eyes right for a thumbnail sketch of the program's yearly activities.

JANUARY: The seven members of the merchandise committee gather at the ADA Gift of Hope office in suburban Minneapolis to begin the three-month process of selecting products for the Gift of Nope catalog. That same night, they double as the judging panel for the American Diabetes Association Holiday Art Search. Artists throughout the country have already submitted more than 550 entries in hope that their artwork will appear on an exclusive Gift of Hope card or gift item.

"What makes it so special is that every piece of art represents at least one person with diabetes in the quest for a cure," says Denise Jaco, the mother of two teenage boys with diabetes and merchandise co-chair for more than a decade.

A few weeks later, the committee begins meeting with vendors who offer another 500 card designs and an endless choice of gift items.

The program's operating group, a board of nine volunteers, also devotes a Saturday to brainstorming. Last year, they troubleshot a list of 57 actions to improve service, raise more money, and make volunteering more fun.

FEBRUARY: The day crew, mainly retirees, repackages about 5,000 assortments of surplus holiday cards, for sale at reduced price.

MARCH: The process-of-elimination rules as members of the merchandise committee ask each other, "Which entry will raise more money?" They pull card designs (color Xeroxes of originals) off a six-foot-wide bulletin board and eliminate gift items from the conference table. About 25 finalists are then requested to send in their original artwork for final judging.

APRIL: The merchandise committee makes its final decisions. This year they choose a record 23 winning Art Search entries plus 12 pieces of art for the Gift of Hope calendar, 11 cards from manufacturers, and 29 gift items.

"I hope we made the right decisions," says Carol Holten, co-chair of merchandise and mother of a 22-year-old daughter with diabetes. "We want to use every spot in the catalog to generate the most revenue possible."

The spring appeal, a request for donations, mails to 230,000 Gift of Hope customers.

MAY TO AUGUST: The day crew processes donations from the spring appeal, which brought in $164,000 in 2002. Volunteers write copy for the Gift of Hope catalog. Committees continue to work on the to-do list. Volunteers stack cartons full of merchandise in the warehouse when shipments arrive. About 1.7 million copies of the catalog mail throughout the country.

SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER: More than 90 percent of the program's work is jammed into this brief three-month period. Nearly 200 volunteers raise more than $100 an hour for diabetes research while putting in close to 10,000 hours to process about 50,000 orders. "We handle this huge volume with volunteer labor. To me, that ranks as a minor miracle," says Jane Bienapfl, an active recruiter and member of multiple committees.

DECEMBER: The Holiday Art Search box at the post office fills with entries, just in time for the start of another year.

Members of the American Diabetes Association should receive a Gift of Hope catalog in August. To request a catalog, call 1-800-1374-1333. To view the catalog online, visit the Gift of Hope Web site at diabetes.org/giftofhope.

HOW to paint a cure

Artists inspire exclusive products that raise money for research.

EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTIC ability and a personal interest in diabetes produced a record 23 winning entries in the American Diabetes Association Holiday Art Search.

The seventh annual ADA Holiday Art Search attracted 550 entries, all created by or dedicated to a person with diabetes. Winning entries are featured on greeting cards and gift items in the ADA Gift of Hope publication. All proceeds go directly to diabetes research. Meet the winners:

JOYCE ANDRE, Antioch, Ill., dedicates her watercolor pine to her daughter-in-law, Donna Andre, Cary, Ill., who developed diabetes at age 12.

ELLEN BODA, Cheboygan, Mich., dedicates her painting of a tiny tree holding a single ornament to her husband, Daniel, who has type 2 diabetes, and her stepdaughter, Saundra, Smyrna, Ga., who has had type 1 diabetes since age nine.

SUZANNE CHRISTENSEN, Comstock Park, Mich., dedicates her artwork of three children in an angel choir to her husband, Lee, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in September 2002.

JACKIE CLAFLIN, Spokane,Wash., a three-time winner, dedicates her painting of holiday guests arriving by carriage and sleigh to her son, Anthony Claflin, who has type 2 diabetes.

HELEN FAYERWEATHER, Stillwater, Minn., dedicates her painting of a mailbox stuffed with presents to her older brother, Richard Fruit, Menomonie, Wis., who has type 2 diabetes.

KATHERINE FUCHS, Evansville, Ind., dedicates her painting of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to her granddaughter, Amy VanDeWielle, South Bend, Ind., who developed diabetes at age three.

KAY HARRIGAN, Norwalk, Conn., dedicates her artwork of a New England town square decorated for the holidays to her daughter, Linda Searles, Eldersberg, Md., who has type 2 diabetes.

RUSS HENCH, Canton, Ohio, a three-time winner, dedicates his painting of a cardinal and holiday lights to his great-aunt, Jackie Weaver, Wadsworth, Ohio, who has type 2 diabetes.

VERNALEE HUCKABAY, Roseville, Calif., who has type 2 diabetes, dedicates her painting of poinsettias to her husband, David, and her mother-in-law, Edna, both of whom have type 2 diabetes.

ED ITTER, Pasadena, Md., a past winner, dedicates his painting of playful otters plus three paintings of birds for a set of note cards to his wife of 46 years, Carol, who has diabetes.

DONNA KIDD, Hudson, Wis., dedicates her painting of a stream flowing past a bench and under a bridge to her brother-in-law, Thomas Smith, Eau Claire, Wis., who takes insulin to control his diabetes.

CYNTHIA R. LANG, Spokane, Wash., dedicates her painting of a snowman, a snowwoman, and their gingerbread house to her daughter-in-law, Cerissa Lang, Spokane, who developed diabetes as a child.

SHARON LEA LARSEN, Encinitas, Calif., a double winner who has diabetes, dedicates her paintings of a Santa snowboarder and a Hanukkah collage to her late father, James R. Hendricks, who had type 2 diabetes.

TOM MARCOTTI, Peabody, Mass., a four-time winner who has had diabetes for six years, painted a boy and his dog putting the final touches on a snowman.

CINDY MARKOWSKI, Wausau, Wis., dedicates her painting of two cardinals on a snowy pine to all people with diabetes and to her son, Travers Markowski.

enter your artwork

The deadline for entries in the next ADA Holiday Art Search is Dec. 15, 2003. Artwork must be created by or dedicated to a person with diabetes. Entries are limited to flat art with a holiday theme. The entry fee is $2 for artists under age 16 and $10 for adults and teens age 16 and up.

Selection is based on quality, creativity, and sales potential. Each winner receives $500.

For an entry form and rules, go to diabetes.org/giftofhope or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

ADA Holiday Art Search

6325 Sandburg Rd.

Suite 1100

Golden Valley, MN 55427

DOROTHY MAXWELL, Town & Country, Mo., dedicates her painting of a stained-glass window that depicts angels visiting Mary and baby Jesus to her son, Barry H. Maxwell, who has type 1 diabetes.

ANNE MOORE, Wichita, Kans., who has type 1 diabetes, dedicates her painting of "Gifts of Peace & Joy" to Bette Strong, Lima, Ohio, a friend and mentor who also has type 1 diabetes.

ANDREA L. PARKS, Keystone Heights, Fla., dedicates her painting of four snowmen to her husband, Bill Parks, and her grandmother, Roxannah Mae Kraus, LaPorte, Pa., both of whom have diabetes.

CYNTHIA PENDLETON, Anchorage, Alaska, dedicates her painting of four Eskimo kids playing with their dog to her mother, Maculata Murrell, Berkeley, Mich., who has diabetes.

DARLENE ROBYN, Manchester, N.H., dedicates her painting of an American flag hanging in a candlelit window to Mary Dunphy Adams, Hull, Mass., a friend who has diabetes.

SHERYL THORNTON, Salt Lake City, Utah, dedicates her painting of a holly and ribbon border to her mother, Afton Miller, Salt Lake City, who has type 2 diabetes.

Jon Holten is a writer and editor in Minneapolis. He volunteers at the ADA Holiday Program.