NC Children With Disabilities Create Unique Holiday Cards

Dec. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Tiny fingers and toes helped to create a unique collection of holiday cards that not only raises much-needed funds for people with disabilities, but that also demonstrates how the smallest gesture can say “Happy Holidays” more poignantly than any Hallmark collection.

With the help of the staff at the RHA Howell Tar River Center, a not-for-profit pediatric center for children with disabilities in Greenville, NC, the children traced their hands; made prints with their hands, fingers and toes; or drew simple pictures, all of which became artwork for 10 original holiday cards that are on sale now for $10 per package.

“In addition to having a really fun time, it was also a wonderful sensory experience for the children and also something that they could share with their parents”, said Jill Best, Infant and Toddler Specialist at Tar River.  

Each card features a note on the back explaining how the artwork was created, such as “This card was created by Kiki’s fingerprints, Age 2.” The messages range from “Happy Holidays” and “Have a Very Merry Christmas” to “Peace, Joy, Love.”

The RHA Howell Tar River Center opened in 1992 after the State of North Carolina asked Irene Howell, the organization’s founder, to create a warm and homelike environment for children while providing the necessary medical and rehabilitative services needed for them to develop to their fullest potential. The Tar River Center is an Intermediate Care Facility of the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR).

The Tar River Center provides state-of-the-art services to children who depend on continued medical and technological support and is run cooperatively with the Brody School of Medicine.  “RHA Howell Tar River has made a significant difference in the lives of hundreds of North Carolina’s children” said Sam Hedrick, President of RHA Howell.  

To order RHA Howell’s 2009 holiday cards and everyday cards, contact Debbie Valentine, RHA Howell’s communications director, at dvalentine@rhanet.org or call her at 919-803-2360. All proceeds will benefit children with disabilities.

For more information on RHA Howell, visit www.rhahowell.org.

# # #

About RHA Howell, Inc: RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.