Business Notes RETAILING

The artwork is amateurish, but many people are proud to send the holiday greeting cards produced by Houston's M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. They are the creations of cancer-stricken patients under the age of 17 who, armed with crayons and Magic Markers, draw original images, like a red-suited Santa in a brown cowboy hat. The hospital turns the pictures into cards and sells them worldwide (price: $8 for a pack of 20).

Last year 2.75 million cards were sold, bringing in a record $540,000, and this season's business is running ahead of that. Proceeds from the remarkable program, which began 14 years ago, enable the children to go to summer camp, take ski trips and receive college scholarships.