Cheerwine card to benefit tornado victims

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, November 30, 2011

In the aftermath of a Nov. 16 tornado that ripped through Davidson County, Cheerwine employees will be helping out through the sale of a special Christmas card.
The card, designed by a Rowan County third-grader, is available only to Cheerwine employees at $20 for a 25-card pack. The Salisbury-based company will send all proceeds from its card sales to the Davidson County chapter of the American Red Cross.
Earlier, Cheerwine had asked local school children for their vision of a “Cheerwine Christmas.”
“While all of the submissions were great,” said Tom Barbitta, vice president of marketing and sales, “the one card selected was from third-grader Emma Morgan of Bostian Elementary School.”
She is a member of Ms. Strohl’s art class.
With Emma’s drawing, the Christmas card includes the message, “Enjoy the Wonder of the Season and the Child in Each of Us.”
Barbitta said he hopes a Christmas card designed by local school children can become an annual thing for Cheerwine.
“We feel as a company that if we can provide all cash proceeds from the purchase of these cards we’ll be doing our small part to allow some families comfort during the holidays,” he added.
“Given we are truly a brand of the community, family-owned and operated, we are very grateful to be able to tap in to our community this way. We wish everyone happy holidays.”
The new card is in addition to a company card usually sent out.
The Nov. 16 tornado led to the deaths of a 3-year-old girl and her grandmother. The storm left a debris field 7 miles long and 100 feet wide.