Happy Memorial Day from Learning, Development, & Diversity

Toy Story 3 Ads

Have you seen the cute television commercial for Priority Mail starring the Toy Story 3 characters?

The Postal Service really benefitted from its partnership with Pixar: we are not paying for use of the characters or for the creation of any of the advertising. The Toy Story 3 characters are also featured in a line of birthday cards that are sold in post office lobbies. 

Here's the latest print ad:

And you also check out the newest site for Priority mail, http://www.prioritymail.com/. Once there, you'll see some really cool things: Woody's Road Trip game, a virtual box simulator, and a way to order your own free priority flat-rate boxes. Here's a screenshot:

Babies on Board

Baby Talk, a baby item specialty shop in Northport, Alabama that mails out about 100 packages each week, now ships their items using USPS Priority Mail. After seeing a commercial for flat rate boxes, Baby Talk managers ordered some, tried them out, and quickly saw the savings for both their company and their customers.

 Baby Talk owner Christine Cover, her employees Stephanie Boyington and Anna Katherine Powell, and Business Solutions Specialist Tamara Purdy

In addition to enjoying the benefits of Click-N-Ship, free packaging, and carrier pick-up, USPS Business Solutions Specialist Tamara Purdy introduced the owner, Christine Cover, to the convenience of the Bill-Me-Later option, so that Baby Talk would only have to pay for postage once a month.

Tamara Purdy and Christine Cover

Not a Complaint for Complaints & Inquiries Department

Complaints & Inquiries clerks hear customers moaning and groaning all day; it's the nature of their jobs. That's why Birmingham Consumer Affairs Manager Viola Freeman was so happy to receive the following very enthusiastic message on her voicemail regarding the service a member of the public received from Complaints & Inquiries Clerk Inez Burden:

My name is Josh M___, and I am calling about one of your subordinates that did an excellent, excellent job for me on an issue. Her name is Inez. I had a package that was lost, and she followed through with me, called me back, kept me abreast of the information. I got my package today, and I just can’t say enough good things about her. Inez definitely, definitely, definitely displayed a level of follow-through and professionalism that’s rarely seen in dealing with people over the phone. Like I said, she followed through, she called me when she said that she was going to call me, and she really took an interest in getting me squared away, getting the problem resolved, so I just wanted to call. When somebody helps me like that extent, I like to call their supervisor or write a letter and just let them know that they’re up on their game, and I have nothing but good things to say about Inez.

Consumer Affairs Manager Viola Freeman purchased lunch for all of her employees to show them all that she appreciates them, too.

Consumer Affairs employees: LaSabria Smith, Inez Burden, Viola Freeman, Danny Hill, Karen Burt, and Alethea Fells

Great job, Inez! And thanks to all of the Consumer Affairs employees who have to do their best every day to remain helpful and courteous when dealing with our complaining or inquiring customers.

Huntsville: Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamp Release Event

With all of the Adopt A Shelter Pet stamp events that have gone on in the Alabama District this month, you would almost think that the Postal Service has taken on a second job.

On April 30, 2010, the Huntsville Inclusiveness Diversity Advisory Committee joined forces with the Decatur Post Office and the Decatur Animal Shelter for the Adopt A Shelter Pet stamp-launching campaign.

Katrina Wynn (left) and Lisa Carter didn't have to work hard to sell these stamps: animal-lovers everywhere love the images of real shelter dogs and cats, along with the fact that a portion of the proceeds goes towards feeding other animals in need.

Supervisor Louis Tuck sizes up some of the available dogs. The little one seems to be saying to him, "I can carry a mailbag, I promise!

The bunnies insisted on pet diversity and became the ambassadors of inclusion. That afternoon, 1080 stamps were sold for a total revenue of $475.20 (not including credit and debit card purchases, which had to be made inside at the window).

Huntsville: Third Grade Letter Writers

On April 23, the Huntsville Inclusiveness Diversity Advisory Council conducted sessions to encourage third graders to write letters at Heritage and Horizon Elementary Schools. Postmarks thanks council member Thomas Malone for submitting pictures of the events:

 

Council member Katrina Wynn and a student share a moment of fun, while the teacher seems to be taking a more serious approach.

The kids contemplate what a difference that a letter written by one of them might make in someone else's day or life.

Thomas Malone helps an earnest young fellow put the finishing touches on his letter.

 Linda Smith takes on the biggest challenge of the afternoon: fitting full-size letters into tiny little envelopes.

Ozark's Commitment to Safety

As USPS employees, safety is important to all of us, but how often do you hear about employees spending their own money to ensure the safety of both themselves and the public? Ozark OIC Sandra Czarnecki wants everyone to know about her two rural carriers, Tanya Matthews and Larry Walker who, in addition to having spotless safety records, have purchased back-up cameras for their vehicles.

Ozark Rural Carriers Tanya Matthews and Larry Walker

Tanya has been a rural carrier for 10 accident-free years, and in his 12 years of service as a rural carrier, Larry has never had an at-fault accident. Both spent $74 to purchase the back-up camera systems, and Tanya spent another $400 to have factory strobe lights installed in her new vehicle. They both follow USPS guidelines about only reversing their vehicles when absolutely necessary.

"The display in the car is not a distraction because it only comes on when the car is put in reverse,"

Czarnecki writes.

"Involve your employees: they will respond positively," Czarnecki advises other managers. Czarnecki also spends her own money to encourage safety in Ozark. Every week that her employees remain accident free, she purchases breakfast for them. "It's worth the cost to me if it prevents one injury or possibly death to my employees."

Postmarks thanks Sandra Czarnecki for submitting the information and pictures.

Does Prichard Carrier Donnie Miller Wear A Cape Under That Postal Uniform?

As a courtesy, three days a week, Prichard Carrier Donnie Miller carries the mail to Flossie Stephens' door because she is in her late eighties, and getting to the mailbox had became impossible for her. And on this Saturday in April, when he knocked and nobody answered, Donnie immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He knocked again and again and listened for some response from inside, but the television in the apartment across the hall was blaring too loud for him to hear anything else, so he called Ms. Stephens' nephew, David Spenser, who also happens to be a Prichard carrier. David tried to call his aunt, but she didn't answer her phone, either.

For a brief moment, the sound on the neighbor's tv dropped. Donnie thought that he heard a faint, "Help, help," coming from inside Ms. Stephens' apartment. He called 911.

Ms. Stephens' had fallen in the bathtub and broken her hip, which resulted in her having to undergo hip replacement surgery. When asked if there was anything that he said to Ms. Stephens as she was being prepared for transport to the hospital, Donnie replied, "I just told her, 'I'll leave your mail by the tv.' "

What is even more amazing is that this is by no means Donnie Miller's first rescue of a customer in his 10 years as a carrier for the Postal Service (prior to which he had served 27 years in the US Marine Corps). He also found a customer who on New Year's Eve had fallen in his own driveway (another person with a broken hip); discovered a customer, an elderly amputee who lived alone, in heart failure; and witnessed a car-jacking, where the information that he provided to the police led to the recovery of the stolen vehicle, along with the capture and arrest of the criminals.

Postmarks admires Donnie Miller's caring and bravery and knows that the citizens of Prichard, Alabama feel safer having this secret super-hero on the alert.

Oxford Post Office Shows Its Love

On May 14, the Oxford, Alabama Post office held a Customer Appreciation Day.

PTF Nichole Mille, Retail Associate Sherry Fraser, PTF Ayanna King, Manager Sheila Laney.

Oxford employees served cupcakes and cookies and held a drawing for a Photo Stamp Kit.

Postmarks thanks Sheila Laney for submitting photos and information about the event.

Car Slams into Birmingham Post Office Branch

From MyFoxAL.com:

Photo source: Ashley Nix, FOX 6 Reporter

By Ty Watwood

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - Authorities are trying to figure out why someone drove a car into the West End station of the Birmingham Post Office.

Most of the grey Lincoln Towncar plowed into the brick wall of the post office. The female driver was not injured. Birmingham police officers are investigating the incident.

Stayin' Alive in Birmingham

On May 15, Birmingham PEG Coordinator Annette Desmond conducted Beyond Awareness Safety Training for Birmingham City managers and safety officers. Participants gave up their Saturday to become certified in adult/child and infant CPR, as well as AED (automated external defibrillator).

Custodian Clifford Moore practices adult CPR.

     PEG Coordinators Annette Desmond and Jan Garner demonstrate defibrillator use.

Nesa Smith (front) is a happy choking victim for Queen Johnson.

Note: Humming the song Stayin' Alive will help you maintain the perfect rhythm while performing CPR compressions. The song has 103 beats per minute, which is very close to the 100 compressions per minute that are needed when peforming CPR. If you're not a Bee Gees fan, the song Another One Bites the Dust by the group Queen also works.

Postal Pets in Peterson

Peterson Postmaster Carol Ables had some fun while promoting the Adopt-A-Shelter-Pet Stamps.

The pictures may appear rather blue, but there was nothing sad about this event. "I loved to see a customer come in with a worried look and then break out in a smile when they saw me dressed as a dalmatian," Carol wrote.
















Her playful approach to marketing has paid off: so far, Carol has sold 93 sheets of stamps. Postmarks thanks Carol Ables for sending us the information and pictures

.

Grant, Alabama: Adopt a Shelter Pet Event

On Saturday, May 15, the Grant Post Office held a pet adoption event to commemorate the Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamps release. In just four hours, 1180 Adopt A Shelter Pet stamps were sold, $519.20 in revenue was raised, and a few hundred dollars was collected by the participating animal rescue agency.

Melinda Seela and her granddaughter, Alexis

Melinda Seela and David Powell

Postmarks thanks Grant Postmaster David Powell for submitting the pictures and information.

EAS Leadership Development Open Season Launch

 

For more information or to begin your application, go to the Postal Intranet, and on the address bar, type in ELD.

Pictures from Do Dah Day

On Saturday, May 15, the Alabama District USPS in Birmingham celebrated the release of the Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps by creating a special cachet and postmark for Do Dah Day. Here are some photos from the event and Postal booth:

One of employee Tracy Steedley's many jobs that day was to hold leashes while customers purchased stamps and cachets.

Dogs were bringing their owners to the coolest place in the park.

After the parade, customers flocked to the Postal tent.

Postmarks' own little mailman enjoyed a fun, productive afternoon.

Montgomery Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamp Release Event

On May 1, the Montgomery Post Office commemorated the issuance of the Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamps at the local PetSmart. Customers could purchase the stamps, affix them to "rescue certificates," and have them stamped with a special postmark that was created just for the event.
A wide variety of shelter pets needing homes were also available for adoption.

Postmarks thanks Eve Golden for sending us the pictures and information from this fun, helpful, and profitable event.

Left to Right) Maurice Williams, Rea Cord, Dr. Mickey Golden, Steven Tears, and Lea Turbert

Dogs and puppies that were up for adoption.

A Special Cancellation was designed by Montgomery Postal employee Mechelle Manning. On her farm in Autauga County, Mechelle herself cares for 6 dogs, 5 cats and 4 horses, a majority of which are rescued pets.

Bettye Mendez, OIC Station Manager, Shakespeare Station, kneels beside Louie, .who was rescued by Montgomery County Humane Shelter after being set on fire. Louie was sent to Auburn University, where the poor little fellow went through several painful procedures while on the road to recovery.








 

Decatur Rural Carrier Denise Warren Spots Burning House

Taken from DecaturDaily.com:

Fire damages Decatur home

Substitute mail carrier praised for calling
9-1-1

By Catherine Godbey
Staff Writer

Denise Warren turned onto 21st Avenue Southwest, mail stacked on the passenger’s seat. It was 9:30 a.m. and so far an uneventful morning for the mail carrier who was subbing for the regular carrier.

But then she passed by 1311 21st Ave. S.W.


“I saw smoke and thought someone was burning something in their backyard; that’s what it looked like,” said Warren. “When I came back by, I knew something was wrong.”


The blue-uniformed mail carrier turned into an emergency responder and rescue worker. Warren called 911 and alerted Henry Tucker, a neighbor and brother of the home owner.



“We went in and I searched on the bed where he sleeps. Thank goodness he wasn’t there. There is no way anyone could get out of that,” said Warren, who had trouble breathing as she turned onto 22nd Avenue, returning to her normal duties.

Heavy smoke billowed from the brick house as Decatur Fire and Rescue arrived. Ladder 4 and Engines 1, 2 and 5 responded.

Forrest Tucker stood solemnly, watching firefighters through a blackened window as they rushed through his childhood home.

“I was born in that place,” said Forrest Tucker, the home owner who was at a neighbor’s house when the fire started. “They say it started in the loft and then spread. I don’t know how it could have started.”


“I thought he was in there. It was the worst feeling. I hated that. I just hated that,” Henry Tucker added.


Deputy Fire Marshal Lt. Danny Engle said the entire house sustained smoke and heat damage.


“It wasn’t a total loss, some things inside the house were salvageable, but there was heavy fire damage in half of the house,” Engle said.


Firefighters battled the fire for an hour, eliminating all of the hot spots.


This is the second fire to damage the home where Forrest Tucker and his seven siblings lived. According to Felice Tucker, a sister, the first fire occurred about 25 years ago. The family never learned what caused the fire.


“We were able to save the house that time and our father remodeled the home after that fire,” Henry Tucker said. “But we may not be able to save it this time. It may be a total loss.”


Engle classified Wednesday’s event as an electrical fire. The fire started in the front of the house and spread to the attic, he said.


Henry Tucker believes the fire could have spread and caused more damage, if not for Warren.


“I am certainly thankful the mail lady stopped,” he said. “Who would have thought, the mail lady.”

Note: Postmarks thanks Lisa Carter for bringing this story to our attention.

Roanoke and Woodland, AL: 1,800 Pounds of Food Collected

Taken from The Randolph Leader:

Employees from the Roanoke and Woodland post offices participated in the U.S. Postal Service's annual Stamp Out Hunger Day food drive on Saturday and were overwhelmed by the response from postal customers, who left non-perishable food items beside their mailboxes for mail carriers to pick up during their mail delivery rounds. The two county post offices collected more than 1,800 pounds of food that was distributed to the Christian Service Center, Community Life Food Bank and Lighthouse Soup Kitchen.

This was the Roanoke Post Office's first year to participate, but the local employees plan to make this an annual event for the community. Since the program began in 1993 it has become the nation's largest single day food drive. This year the program was projected to surpass 1 billion pounds of food collected nationally since it began.

Local postal employees and food bank coordinators thank all who donated and made this project such a success.

Proudly displaying some of the food collected on postal routes Saturday on the loading dock of the Roanoke Post Office are (front row, from left) Ed Halsey, Carolyn Goode, Greg Benefield, (back row) Abbey Phipps of the Christian Service Center, Linda Hurst of Lighthouse Soup Kitchen, Jeannie Volpe of Community Life Food Bank, Greg Rampey, Shelia Holloway, Tonya Fuller, and Deannie Lambert. Roanoke food drive participants not pictured are Angel Hatcher, Deleatha Witteveen, Tina Lovelace, Karron Cantrell, Jasmine Lambert, Keith Mitchum and Postmaster Rick Cadle.

Auburn/Opelika Carriers Collect over 30,000 Pounds of Food

Taken from oanow.com.

Stamp of Approval: Food Drive a Success for Local Food Bank
By Donathan Prater

Published: May 11, 2010

To say that the community “delivered” might be an understatement.


Local postal carriers picked up 30,832 pounds of food during Saturday’s Stamp Out Hunger! Food Drive, said Food Bank of East Alabama executive director Martha Henk. Donations collected in Auburn, Opelika, Dadeville, Tuskegee and Waverly post offices benefitted the Food Bank of East Alabama.

The annual food drive, now in its 18th year, was conducted nationwide and is the largest one-day food collection event in the country.

As part of the “Stamp Out Hunger! Food Drive,” both Auburn and Opelika letter carriers left plastic bags during the week prior to the drive in which residents were asked to place whatever canned goods and non-perishable food items they could give and place by their mailboxes. Letter carriers then picked up the canned goods as they ran their Saturday mail routes.

One area in Auburn (Sanders Street and Cedarbrook Drive) had so much food out for pick up that the post office had to send out an additional truck just to get the donations, Henk said. “I think the key to the success of this drive was that the letter carriers made it so easy-all we had to do is remember to put the food out.”

The Food Bank of East Alabama distributes an average of 12 tractor-trailer loads of food each month to more than 150 agencies.

“This food will have a tremendous impact on our ability to serve agencies and feed people in need during the summer months,” Henk said.

The Food Bank of East Alabama accepts donations year-round.

According to the food bank’s website, http://www.foodbankofeastalabama.com, food donations may be delivered to The Food Bank of East Alabama at 375 Industry Drive any time. A drop box is available for donations after hours. Financial donations may be mailed to: The Food Bank of East Alabama, 375 Industry Drive, Auburn, AL 36832.

PA Postal Worker Wins Lottery: WFMZ Allentown

Local Couple Wins Lottery - News Story - WFMZ Allentown:


SPRING TWP., Pa. -- What would you do with $225,000?

That's what a couple from Sinking Spring, Berks County is trying to decide.

Lee and Cindy Michalowski won the money by matching five numbers in the Cash Five game last month.

Lee works for the U.S. Postal Service. Cindy also works as a school bus driver.

They bought the winning ticket at Ronco's Pharmacy in Spring Township, where Cindy also works part-time.

He said take that extra ticket, that bonus ticket I play now and then, and play that one, said Cindy. And that's the one that hit.

We're gonna pay off the mortgage, a couple little bills, give some money to the family, and enjoy the rest, said Lee.

The odds of winning the Cash Five jackpot are one in more than 962,000.


Click here to watch a video. 

Do Dah Day and Pet Cachet

Postmarks invites everyone to join us Saturday, May 15, at Caldwell and Rhodes Parks in Birmingham for the 31st annual Do Dah Day Festival. There will be food, music, and of course the pet parade, which starts at 11:01. Participation is free, so bring your pets and the kids. We'll have so much fun, and the proceeds go towards animal rescue and adoption.

What makes this year even more exciting is that the Alabama District will join in the festivities at a Postal booth. Dress your pet in Postal garb and meet us there, where we will be taking pictures, showing off our own pets, selling the new pet adoption stamps, and introducing the Do Dah Day pet cachet, which will be on sale for the very first time. Once again, Postmarks' Marvin Owens designed the cachet, which will be printed on silk and contains a specially-made postmark. Here's a preview:

Pet Adoption Stamp Purrr-ty in Calera

The Calera, Alabama Post Office held a pet adoption event today to help promote the new pet adoption stamps. The Shelby County Humane Society presented several adorable kittens who were all looking for permanent, loving homes and also provided information about their spay/neuter program (cats are spayed/neutered for free in Calera).


Once again, the cute animals attracted customers and gave clerks many opportunities to show the public the new stamps and to inform them about how a portion of each sale goes towards the goal of feeding 1 million shelter animals.

Pictured left to right are the two Retail Associates who planned and conducted the event, Rachel Barone and Vicki Holden, along with the Calera Postmaster Harvey Watts.

Note: If you live in Shelby County, the Humane Society needs donations of newspapers, canned puppy/kitten food, paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, cat litter, copy paper, Dawn dish detergent, dry cat food, AAA batteries, and shoe boxes. Supplies can be dropped off at their main location at 381 McDow Rd., Columbiana, AL 35051