Happy New Year!

The National Postal Museum Wants Your Vote

What stamp best represents the image of the USA? The National Postal Museum wants your input.

Click here to visit the NPM website, where you can cast your vote for the one of seven stamps that you think is THE American icon (the stamp above is not one of the seven). The stamp receiving the most votes by January 20, 2011 will be the winner, and once you cast your vote, you can check back on the site to see which stamp is in the lead.

Generosity in Nauvoo

Happy Holidays from Birmingham VMF

Every year, VMF clerk Kay Crumley decorates the Christmas tree in the Birmingham VMF unit with ornaments that she made herself. For each employee working at VMF, Kay created an LLV ornament that is driven by that person. Her creations are so cute and thoughtful that we just had to show them to you again this year.

Kay also made calendars for everyone using pictures of them that she took throughout the year. Employees are featured on the calendar for the month of their birthdays.

Kay (in the red sweater) and the rest of the VMF crew would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Safety is Cool in Ozark

When OIC Sandra Czarnecki recently received a cash award for improved safety performance at the Ozark Post Office, she wanted all of the employees to feel recognized.

“The check had my name on it, but I knew that it was the employees’ dedication to safety that had made the difference, “ she said.

So everyone got together and decided to put the money towards purchasing a refrigerator for the break area, with employees covering additional expenses. “Everyone pitched in to make up the difference, just like we do with everything around here: teamwork!” said Czarnecki.

Ozark’s safety record has improved primarily because of Czarnecki’s focus on communication. Every day, employees stop what they are doing and briefly gather to discuss safety concerns. “Repetition is the key,” said Czarnecki. “We go over it every day so that we’ve got it in our minds.”

Postmarks thanks Sandra Czarnecki for sharing this story with us and would like to add a detail that Sandra herself omitted: for each week of accident-free work, Czarnecki has with her own money purchased breakfast for all Ozark staff.

Dear Santa : Letters pass through Birmingham post office | al.com

From Sunday's The Birmingham News:

by Carol Robinson

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. 

If  letters to Santa flowing through the Birmingham Post Office are any indication, you'll have to make an appointment to see him at the Apple Store. 

Because kids don't want Tickle Me Elmos or Cabbage Patch dolls this year. Not little red wagons nor Red Ryder BB guns.
 
  No, Birmingham's children want tech, and lots of it. 

Take young William. He asked for an iPad, 32 gigabytes and an iPhone 4, also 32 gigabytes. "I know I have been bad sometimes this year," he wrote, "but hopefully you will get me one of these. Thanks, Your Friend." 

Austin, of Alabaster, is also on a quest for the best. He asked for a 54-inch flat screen television and an iPod Touch. 

  "I'm so sorry for being bad," Austin wrote. "I love my family, and want them to be right in the head." 

To continue reading, click here. 

The Buddy System

Hope Hull was one of five Alabama District post offices selected to receive a cash award for remaining accident free for four years.

When asked about their secret to staying safe, Postmaster Sherry Hughes replied, “Most of my carriers have been here a long time. They are very alert to their surroundings.”

Hughes also emphasized the cooperation that occurs in their facility. “We’re on the buddy system out here: if we see somebody doing something unsafe, we tell them, and if we see anyone lifting something that might be too heavy for them, we all jump in and help.”

Acting Safety Specialist George Pelt, Postmaster Sherry Hughes, Clerk Doug Miller, Rural Carrier Ronda Insinga, Rural Carrier Kay Gill, RCA Stacey Brogden

Initially, Postmarks had just planned on congratulating Hope Hull on their Safety award, but when we heard what they are planning to do with the money (which ended up being a little more than $200), we were even more impressed.

Together, in the holiday spirit, they all decided to split the funds between two needy families in their town. "We're telling the families that the money is to be used only to celebrate Christmas," said Hughes.

Everybody could use a buddy like the ones in the Hope Hull group. What a thoughtful gesture to your community! Happy holidays, and we wish you many more accident-free years to come.







Priority Mail Has Legs

Last week-end, employees of the Jacksonville, Alabama Post Office dressed up like Priority boxes and marched in the town's annual Christmas parade.

How striking! Is this a sign of new uniforms in our near futures (minus the antlers for year-round functionality, of course).

Row 1: Melinda Trivett, City Carrier; Cheryl Bonds, Rural Carrier; Laurie Douthit, RCA; Kayla Coffman, Supervisor; Enzia Gaddy, daughter of RCA Jamie Gaddy.

Row 2: Anthony Dickson, City Carrier; Jim Denton, City Carrier; Jamie Gaddy, RCA; Susan Rice, OIC

 Susan Rice and Kayla Coffman

What a terrific way to participate in your community and to (literally) bring the Priority Mail message to the people. Postmarks thanks Susan Rice for sharing this with us.

Killen the Competition

When asked about Killen SSDA Heather Davis, Postmaster Don Ross replied, "She interacts with the customers extremely well. She tries to make the job fun while serving them." And then he added, " She’s also very competitive.”

So it was no big surprise to Ross when Davis placed third in Alabama  in the October Breast Cancer Awareness sales contest and won a $50 gift card. Davis sold $6283.20 or 571 sheets of stamps.

However, he was shocked when she had sold all of the Breast Cancer Awareness stamps that he had ordered in three days. For the remainder of the month, he had to borrow stamps from other post offices in the area, barely able to keep up with her.

When asked about the secret to her success, Davis answered, "It’s all about having fun."

She said that when customers bought the stamps, she gave them one of the large Lifesavers candies and said to them, “Thank YOU for being a lifesaver.”

“But don’t be giving away my idea." Heather said to Postmarks (please, nobody tell her that we spilled the beans).  "I’m on it for next year.”

Pictured from left to right: SSDA Jonathan Bassham, Heather Davis, and Don Ross. Ross said that the Killen sales staff has been in the Alabama District's top 10 offices for Retail Customer Experience for the past 10 years straight.

Davis' light-hearted and relaxed approach to her customers really pays off for the Postal Service. Recently, when Killen received an over-abundance of packaging tape to sell, Heather decided that November was National Packaging Tape Month. All of that tape didn't stick around long at the Killen Post Office.

Ozark Towers

Ozark Postmaster Sandra Czarnecki is always coming up with new ways to promote the Postal Service and sell its products.

Sandra made this display earlier in the week. "It has really sparked interest
in our flat rate boxes," she said.

Inside the picture frame, it reads,     
"Think inside the box."

Thanks, Sandra, for sharing your holiday cheer and good ideas with us.

The Trophy Travels to Hartselle

Congratulations to all of the fine employees at the Hartselle Post Office: they won one of three traveling trophies this year for their sales efforts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

In the Alabama District, Hartselle placed first for level 18-20 offices by selling $9,032.10 worth of Breast Cancer Awareness stamps. Great job, ladies!

Pictured left to right are Sandra Latta, Barbara Smith, Janna Martin, Cissy Waddell, Sandy Parker, Heather Fairbanks, and Janie Geckles.

Letters from Alabama to Santa

Letters to Santa Claus have already started arriving at Post Offices across Alabama. Postmarks peeked at a few that had fallen out of the envelopes. It seems that the most popular requests from kids of all ages were electronics: iPods, laptops, and video game systems. Santa's elves have had to gain quite a bit of technical knowledge in the past decade.

If you would like for your young loved ones to receive a letter from Santa, all that you have to do is address the envelope to Santa or to the North Pole (no street address or zip code is necessary), affix the stamp, make sure that your envelope contains a legible return address, and pop it in the mail. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Santa's elves will do the rest.

Pelham Drives Towards a Cure

Results from October Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp sales keep trickling in. While not everyone could win the Traveling Trophy or a gift certificate for being tops in sales, so many offices and individuals in the Alabama District did their best to raise money for breast cancer research.

Pelham was one such office. In October, in addition to selling over 2000 Breast Cancer Awareness Stamps, Pelham employees conducted an awareness event and created a display that remained visible throughout the month.

Pictured left to right below are Pelham's stellar window clerks Jackie Scott, Sue Stevens, Karen Shelton, and Kim Stewart.