New Contest! Wanted: Mail Processors or Mailhandlers

Postmarks thanks everyone who has let us know about Alabama employees and events that deserve our attention.

We've noticed that we're not hearing as much about some of our behind-the-scenes employees: mail processors and mail handlers. So today, we're announcing a new contest:

Our mail processors and mail handlers generally don't deal with the public, but most go out of their way to provide excellent service and to enrich their communities. Keep ALL of the stories coming, but through end of April, the person who submits the best lead about a mail processor or mail handler will win this highly collectable patch.

There are many ways that you can submit your stories:
1) Send email entries and attachments to Erica.S.Werner@usps.gov
2) Mail your entries to PEDC Contest, PO Box 126, Birmingham, AL 35201-0126
3) Call us at (205) 521-0427.

Only Alabama District USPS employees can enter, The deadline is April 30, 2010.

Supervising Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees

Here is the information about the new course on LMS: Supervising Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees:

Agricultural Art in the Scottsboro Post Office

While waiting in line for stamps at the Scottsboro, Alabama Post Office, a customer noted the artwork over the postmaster's door, became curious about its origins, and decided to write on her about her discoveries on her blog. In the brief article, she also praises the Postal employees who work there.

Photo courtesy Penny's Purse.

Penny discovered that the name of the piece is "Alabama Agriculture," and it was created by an artist named Constance Ortmayer in 1940.

To read Penny's article, click here.

Cleophus Brown and Negro League Baseball

In 1947, Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black major league baseball player. Officially, the color barrier in baseball was broken, but the reality was that it took decades for American baseball to become fully integrated.

One of our Alabama USPS employees played professional baseball during this time in the 1950's in what was called the Negro National League. 76-year-old Birmingham MVS driver Cleophus Brown pitched and played first base for the Louisville Clippers and the Birmingham Black Barons.

Postmarks' interview with Mr. Brown will be included in this quarter's newsletter.

Carrier Dave Jeffferson Helps Elderly Customer

Last week, the Postmaster of Huntsville's Haysland Station received a letter about Carrier Dave Jefferson. It was written by the daughter of one of the elderly customers on Jefferson's route. To safeguard the customer's privacy, Postmarks is going to edit out customer names and addresses included in the letter.

Dear Mr Vess:

I wold like for you to know about an incident that happened on November 17, 2009 to my 91-year-old mother. Mother stepped out of her kitchen to push the garage door opener and fell. She landed on the garage floor. Thank goodness the garage door was open.

Within minutes, her mailman, Dave Jefferson, was delivering mail on Mother's street. Mother tried to signal him that she was in trouble. He heard her, but he thought that she was being her usual friendly self and did not see the predicament that she was in. After driving a few minutes, he felt uneasy and returned to Mother's house, went into her garage, and found her sitting on the garage floor. He immediately called 911 and me and remained with her until the ambulance came. What is so frightening is how long my mother might have been sitting on that garage floor if it had not been for Dave Jefferson.

Unfortunately, she had broken her hip; however, she is recuperating very well. Since she's been home, Dave has checked on her numerous times. My mother, her family, and her many friends are so grateful for Dave jefferson. He not only does a wonderful job as their mailman, but he makes the effort to know the people he serves and checks on their welfare. We think that it is very admirable that Dave considers his job more than just a job but also as a way to serve his community.

What a touching tribute to a thoughtful, conscientious carrier! For being willing to lend a helping hand, Dave Jefferson is this week's winner of the On the Job, On the Ball Trophy. What would have happened to Dave's customer had he not cared enough to turn around and try to help? Also, note the impact that writing a letter can have; Dave Jefferson will never forget having received it.

To read more about this incident and Dave Jefferson, see the next issue of Postmarks.

Gardening Made Simple Class

Today in Alabama is the first one this year that really feels like Spring, There's lots of sunshine, and in most of the state, the temperature is expected to rise into the 70's. Now is the perfect time to start a garden.

Don't know where to begin? Next Wednesday, March 24, Beverly May is teaching a class called Gardening Made Simple. It will be held at the Birmingham Main Post Office, Room 277. It is free and open to all employees.

See the flyer below for details.

Heroic Carrier Lisa Gray Saves Woman's Life

While on her route last week, Helena Carrier Lisa Gray noticed that a customer’s yard had filled with water in the short amount of time that had passed since she had delivered the mail there earlier in the day.


She heard yelling and then saw the customer, a woman in her 60’s, clinging to a rock in her flowerbed, trying to keep the rushing water from pulling her into a nearby storm drain. All Lisa could see was the woman’s head. “I just pulled up in her driveway real quick and jumped out,” Lisa said.

Wading waist deep into the rushing water, Lisa grabbed the woman with one hand and used her cell phone to call 911 with the other. ”The operator wanted me to stay on the line, but I said to her I can't do that." She needed both hands to hang on, and even they weren't enough.

The moment that help arrived, the woman slipped from Lisa’s grasp and entered the flooded drain. The police officer rushed to the other end of the drain, which was about fifty feet from the opening, grabbed the woman when she emerged, and revived her. The woman remains in the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery.

Lisa denies that she did anything heroic and is uncomfortable with all of the attention that she is receiving. "I would just hope that anyone would do that," she said.

                          
For her bravery, concern, and modesty, Postmarks presents this week's On the Job, On the Ball virtual trophy to Lisa Gray, who deserves a stack of awards. We wish that we could do much more to show our respect and appreciation.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

To read a longer article about Lisa Gray, see the next issue of Postmarks.

Monarch Estates Carrier Appreciation Day

Monarch Estates is a assisted-living facility in Auburn, Alabama. The residents wanted their carrier, City Carrier Donna McGinty, to know how much they appreciated her care and service, so last week, they arranged their own Carrier Appreciation Day: they provided and delivered  sack lunches for all 35 Auburn carriers.

When asked about her relationship with the 95 residents, Ms. McGinty said, "I see them all as my grandparents, and I want to treat them like I would want to be treated."

Postmarks wishes to thank Monarch Estates for their considerate efforts: all the Auburn carriers are very grateful for the meals and especially for your positive thoughts and gestures of gratitude. Knowing that we make people happy by caring and providing good service is something that all employees need to remember, and it's great to be reminded of that.

And we especially extend a big thank you to Donna McGinty. Your dedicated service is admirable, an example for everyone to emulate.

A full article about this event will be included in this quarter's newsletter.

This Week's Troll-phy

Red Bay PTF Retail Associate Renee Smallwood adores the Travelocity Gnome. When she went to The Roaming Gnome online store to purchase a t-shirt, she noticed that the shipping was expensive and that USPS was not an option.

She emailed the company, explained that she was a Postal worker and that USPS shipping was cheaper, and within a day, not only did the store offer USPS shipping, it also made USPS the default shipper for their online orders.

"I just explained to them that we offer a great service for an affordable price," said Smallwood. After the shipping change was in place, she went ahead and ordered the shirt.

Postmarks thinks that Renee is the perfect example of what we should all be doing right now, and to show her how much we admire her gumption and common sense, we award her this week's On the Ball trophy.

A longer version of this story will be included in this quarter's newsletter.

Note to readers: Postmarks is aware the gnomes and trolls are not the same thing.

Birmingham Consumer Protection Event

This years's theme for Consumer Protection Week is Dollars and Sense: Rated A for all Ages.

Thursday, the Alabama District Office will host its annual event at 10:00am in the Main Post Office Lobby. Jefferson County Sherrif Mike Hale will be the featured speaker.

If your office is hosting an event for Consumer Protection Week, if you have any tips that you'd like to share with your fellow employees, or if you have a story of identity theft or of being the victim of a scam, contact Postmarks.

March 8: International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!

Many of you have suggested famous Alabama women that we should have included on our Women's History Month flyer.

In an attempt to display a more comprehensive appreciation towards our Alabama women, here is a list of some more famous Alabama females.

Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Jasper)

Janice Rogers Brown, Judge- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Luverne)

Brett Butler, comedian (Montgomery)

Nell Carter; actress, singer (Birmingham)

Courteney Cox, actress (Mountain Brook)

Angela Davis, activist (Birmingham)

Mahala Ashley Dickerson, lawyer (Montgomery)

Deidre Downs, 2005 Miss America (Pelham)

Fannie Flagg, author and actress (Birmingham)

Louise Fletcher, actress (Birmingham)

Betty Lou Gerson, voice actress, "Cruella de Vil" of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Birmingham)

Mary Katharine Ham; journalist, video blogger, Fox News contributor (Montgomery)

Mia Hamm, soccer star (Selma)

Emmylou Harris, singer (Birmingham)

Alexis Herman, former Secretary of Labor, (Mobile)

Sylvia Hitchcock, Miss USA and Miss Universe 1967 (Tuscaloosa)

Linda Howard, romance writer (Gadsden)

Kate Jackson, actress (Birmingham)

Katherine Jackson, mother of Jackson 5 (Barbour County)

Mae C. Jemison, astronaut (Decatur)

Helen Keller, writer (Tuscumbia)

Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer (Monroeville)

Zora Neale Hurston, author (Notasulga)

Rosa Parks, civil rights activist (Tuskegee)

Paula Poundstone, comedian (Huntsville)

Condoleezza Rice, former United States Secretary of State (Birmingham)

Marie Rudisill, aka "The Fruitcake Lady", Truman Capote's aunt (Monroeville)

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, writer (Montgomery)

Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader (Marion)

Toni Tennille, musician (Montgomery)

Cynthia Tucker, columnist and editor (Monroeville)

Margaret Walker, poet, author (Birmingham)

Dinah Washington, singer (Tuscaloosa)

Heather Whitestone, 1995 Miss America (Dothan)

Barbara Wiedemann, poet and English professor (Montgomery)

Kathryn Tucker Windham, storyteller and author (Dallas County)

Tammy Wynette, country singer (Red Bay)

If you would like to learn more about any of these women, you can go to search on google for lots more information.

For the rest of this month, we will now focus on women and the USPS.

Consumer Protection Week March 7-13

While we are in the midst of Consumer Protection Week, Postmarks is going to help you keep the clowns from getting your money.

When completing financial transactions, here are some basic guidelines. When you encounter anything resembling these scams, the red flags should go up: 


1. Beware of free trial offers. Companies that offer them often will require that you submit bank account or credit card information in order to receive the free product, subscription, or service, and then will proceed to take money from your accounts on a monthly basis without your explicit permission. 


2, The odds are pretty good that are that you are not going to win a lottery or sweepstakes, especially one that you didn't enter in the first place. 


3. You are not going to inherit money from a rich person that you don't already know. Nor are you going to be asked to be the distributor of their wealth. 


4. You can't work from home and earn a living unless you're a really successful writer or you have spent a lot of money, sweat equity, and years developing your own business. There really is no such thing as easy money. 


5. Don't  wire funds via  Western Union, Moneygram, or any other wire service unless it's to a friend or family member. Once that money is gone, there is no way for you to get it back. 


6.  Safeguard your financial information. Give it out carefully, in transactions that you initiate. 
Shred bills ad documents that you are not keeping filed in a secure location.


7. Safeguard your computer. Keep your virus and firewall protection up to date, learn how to make secure passwords that can't easily be guessed, don't use the same password all of the time, and change your passwords on a regular basis. 


8. Carefully go over your bank and credit card statements and report suspicious activity as soon as possible. 


9. Research everything. Many savvy people have been duped by scams that appear real. It always helps to go to google and under the search bar, type in whatever you're considering along with the word scam to see what comes up. There's also the Better Business Bureau, Snopes, and many other sites that can help you. 


10. In order to keep from being solicited in the first place, you can register your landline phone or cell phone with the Do Not Call Registry online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. 


More information to follow as the week progresses. 


To read the Consumer.gov article about the top ten scams of 2009, click here.

Operation Freeze Iraq

Student government members at Jemison Middle School sent care packages filled with freezer pops to American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in their project called OPERATION FREEZE IRAQ.

This week, the students sent 88 boxes of freezer pops, two truckloads' worth, overseas.

"The boys are the ones who loaded and unloaded all of the pops (from school to truck to post office). The girls did most of the packing and writing the mailing labels as well as completing the customs form to go with all 88 boxes," wrote teacher and SGA sponsor Shonda W. Copen.

Assisting the Jemison Middle School group was Timmie Smith, a Jemison Post Office retail associate. Several times, Smith went to the school and instructed the group on how to properly pack the items and complete the necessary customs forms and helped them unload the packages when the trucks arrived at the Post Office.

Timmie Smith, Retail Associate

Smith, a veteran who knows firsthand what it's like to be on active duty in a sweltering environment, modestly underplayed his own role in the success of this project. "I didn't do anything but my job," Smith said.

Postmarks wishes to thank the Jemison Middle School students, their sponsors, and Timmie Smith for working so hard to be kind and thoughtful. Your efforts will positively impact more people than you'll ever know.

Weaver Post Office Honors Local Artist

The following article was submitted by Weaver Postmaster Roswitha Sparks:

 Paintings by Larry Cunningham Featured during Black History Month

Weaver Retail Associate Barbara Summers and Artist Larry Cunningham

A reception was held for Larry Cunningham on Friday February 5, in the lobby of the Weaver Post Office. Refreshments were provided by Postmaster Roswitha Sparks and staff.

Mr. Cunningham is a self-taught artist and has been painting in oils and acrylics for 45 years. The artist believes that art is a bridge that connects people. “ We are different from one another, but we are also very much the same. I call my art Conversation Pieces," states Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham was born in Anniston and grew up on the same street as the girl who would later become his wife.

Several paintings by Mr. Cunningham were on display at the Weaver Post Office the entire month of February for customers to enjoy.

Beverly Hills Post Office Time Capsule

Today, The Los Angeles Times reported that while examining old newspapers, a Beverly Hills historian read about a time capsule that had been hidden in the Beverly Hills Post Office in 1933. 

That old post office is now being restored and converted into being part of a center for the performing arts, with construction crews on site. 

The Old Beverly Hills Post Office. Picture Courtesy SPF:a

The city decided to look for the time capsule and found it in a cubby behind a cornerstone in the old building.

To find out about the contents, click  here.

Ubi Duo in Action

Lille Bell Williams and Cassandra Waller

Yesterday, we witnessed how truly helpful the Ubi Duo can be when hearing-impaired and hearing employees are trying to communicate.

Lillie Bell Williams was relocated from Atlanta to Birmingham last week. She is hearing impaired and was having trouble getting answers to her many questions about the relocation process.

While taking Williams on a tour of the Birmingham Plant, co-worker Cassandra Waller learned of Williams' frustrations and brought her upstairs to use the Ubi Duo, and it was only then that the full extent of Williams' lack of information became clear. Waller was then able to connect Wilson with the appropriate administrator.

Williams' questions were answered and stress over the transition relieved because communication became possible with the Ubi Duo.

Another happy result to the improved communication was that once learning of Williams' predicament, Waller also wanted to do whatever she could to make Williams' move to Birmingham easier: within a matter of minutes, Waller returned to the workroom floor, told other co-workers about Williams, and arranged a welcome package for her.
Williams was nearly overwhelmed with their display of kindness.

Cassandra Waller and Tour II Birmingham Plant employees, Postmarks is touched by your thoughtfulness. And Lillie Bell WIlliams (and all of the other new relocat-ees), we welcome you to Alabama with open arms.

This week's On The Job, On the Ball Academy Award belongs to all of you.

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month. Postmarks is particularly interested in profiling past and present Alabama USPS employees. Readers, any suggestions?