Randy Cahoon of Craven County AlDS Task Force holds a poster showing a design of the Christmas card the organization is selling in area stores to raise funds for AIDS victims. (this article originally appeared in the New Bern SUN-JOURNAL, November 7, 1995)

Cards benefit AIDS victims

Take a close look at the Craven County AIDS Task Force Christmas card now on sale at area stores -- it carries an especially poignant and personal touch.

The red ribbons drawn on each card were individually hand tinted by anonymous AIDS victims in Craven County.

The overall design shows a red ribbon attached to a globe, which hangs from a pine bough. A red star at the center indicates North Carolina, and the red ribbon is the universal symbol of support for those suffering from AIDS.

Randy Cahoon, a member of the task force and the card's designer, said the group is appreciative of the support area merchants have demonstrated for the fund raiser.

Fifteen stores have agreed to display, sell and keep track of the cards at no charge. "I was expecting everyone to want 25 percent commission," Cahoon said.

One anonymous merchant, who declined to sell the card due to bookkeeping hassles, donated in another way with a $100 check which covered the entire price of printing, Cahoon said.

With the overhead taken care of, now every penny raised can go to help AIDS patients with medical or living expenses, he said.

They come five to a pack and each pack costs $10.

The Christmas card is among the first fund-raisers the recently reactivated group has sponsored. Though the task force is five years old, Cahoon said it fell dormant until recently, when the growth in AIDS cases in Craven County caused a resurgence in interest.

The task force's mission statement: "To educate the community by raising awareness, providing support services and increasing prevention efforts in reducing the spread of AIDS."

Besides raising money, the fund raiser also serves as a reminder that AIDS is a problem in Craven County, Cahoon said. There are 123 people in Craven County with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and another 109 are HIV positive. The last count at the end of 1994 showed 5,419 AIDS victims statewide, he said.

"What we want to make the local people know is that AIDS is a problem here, and is spread predominantly through unprotected heterosexual sex, and some drug use," he said.

Cahoon said the group mailed more than 20 requests to area merchants, and placed the cards with the first 15 who responded.

Stores carrying the card are: Eastfield Gallery, Mitchell Hardware, Trent River Coffee Co., Fred and Claire's Restaurant, Cherishables, Middle Street Bookstore, City Art Works Gallery, Between the Lines, Great Rooms, Elusive Treasures, Four C's, Southern Pleasures, Peacock's Plume, Grasshopper Music and Cut-Ups! HairStudio.

The project generated nearly $1,500.00