Peabody Artist Designs Holiday Card for Cancer

[The following press release was submitted by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.]

A festive collection of holiday cards, candles and ornaments to support adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is now on sale. There are 12 different designs and greetings in the 2011 card collection, one of which was designed by Peabody’s Gina Hagen. Her card entitled “Fenway Fantasy in the Snow” is a watercolor painting featuring two children with snowmen adorned with Boston Red Sox insignias.  The background is a snow-covered Fenway Park. The inside of the card reads, “Catch the holiday spirit.”

Hagen and her entire family are huge Red Sox fans; she knew that if she painted a holiday card design it had to involve the Red Sox and Fenway Park. Hagen’s painting “Fenway Fantasy in the Snow,” which she calls “Snow Sox,” won first place at the Peabody Art Association exhibit. 

Hagen was aware of Dana-Farber’s Holiday Greetings collection as she sells jewelry through several stores and saw the Dana-Farber Holiday Cards at the Crafty Yankee in Lexington. Many of Hagen’s friends and loved ones have battled cancer. One of her close friends was treated at Dana-Farber after being diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer after giving birth to twins. Hagen’s friend told her about her wonderful experience at Dana-Farber. Hagen’s father-in-law passed away from cancer about nine years ago and her grandmother is currently battling leukemia.

Hagen hosts an annual art show where she showcases her watercolor paintings and jewelry. More than half of the people at the art show last fall could say that cancer had touched their life. 

The card collection has something for everyone’s holiday list. Warm the hearts of your loved ones, friends, and colleagues with 12 new holiday card designs created by area artists and Dana-Farber patients, featuring bright and cheery depictions of winter scenes and décor. Cards from past collections are also available for purchase.

Priced at $20, customers receive a package of 20 cards and 21 envelopes, and both cards and envelopes can be imprinted with personal messages or company logos for an additional fee. Also available are photo cards, e-packs and customized corporate e-cards, which can be created out of any holiday card available. 

The collection also includes three different candles and two ornaments that feature a Boston Red Sox or New England Patriots theme for $20. The exclusive Dana-Farber Holiday Greetings collection can be viewed and ordered online at www.JimmyFundHoliday.org.

Area retailers offering Dana-Farber’s holiday products in the fall include Stop & Shop, The Paper Store, Circle Furniture, The Crafty Yankee, Shubie’s, Cooper Jewelers and the Friends’ Corner Gift Shop at Dana-Farber.  Other important corporate partners include RR Donnelley, and holiday program sponsor, Fed Ex Ground. LookLoveSend.com will partner with Dana-Farber for photo cards.

The Jimmy Fund solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world. It is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, as well as the official charity of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, and the Variety Children's Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund (www.JimmyFund.org) save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thejimmyfund or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/TheJimmyFund.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. It provides adult cancer care with Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and it provides pediatric care with Children’s Hospital Boston as Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center. Dana-Farber is the top ranked cancer center in New England, according to U.S. News & World Report, and one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health grant funding.