Painting the Town Pink

On October 22, 2010, the Hartselle Post Office continued it month-long focus on Breast Cancer Awareness by conducting a lively, well-attended event in the lobby. The employees really went all out, and the town has responded by supporting the cause and purchasing Breast Cancer Awareness Stamps in droves.

Retired Postal employee Leora Gee (l) with Hartselle 204-B Barbara Smith behind the lobby display. Customers were offered pink punch, cookies iced with the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon, and other edible treats. Every Friday during the month of October, customers who purchased Breast Cancer Awareness Stamps were entered into a drawing. The prizes were items that the employees had made, donated, or arranged for others to donate.

SSDA Janna Martin (l) with customer Edgar Gay. Janna was one of the employees who took the initiative in making this event a huge success.

Supervisor Heather Fairbanks (l) with Janna behind the lovely tower of cookies.

Superstar and SSDA Sandra Latta (l) with Hartselle employee Cissy Waddell. Sandra has been a big part of Hartselle's $7,000 worth of Breast Cancer Awareness Stamps that have been sold during October.  When asked what her secret was to such astronomical sales, she replied, "I just ask the customer if they would like to purchase them."

Janna Martin (l) with Postmaster Janie Geckles in front of a display that Hartselle has had up all October. The bear in the background was made by Janie's mom and was then donated to be a prize in the weekly drawing.

Pulling this week's winner.

Janna Martin with a pink boa sign that she designed.

The highlight of the event was everyone's enthusiasm for having them hair sprayed pink to show breast cancer awareness solidarity.

I Can ... Now More Than Ever ... Have My Very Own Beautiful Red T-Shirt!

From the Alabama Combined Federal Campaign Team:

Hello Alabama Team!

The CFC Team would like to give everyone an extra opportunity to help achieve the Postal Service goal of $350,000.00. Purchase an "I CAN" T-Shirt listed below for only $5.00 (Retail price is $10) and every dollar goes towards our goal! The shirts are good quality 100% Preshrunk Cotton and are selling REALLY FAST, so get yours TODAY! They are available in EXTRA LARGE, 2X, AND 3X.


Let us know via email or phone ASAP if you would like to purchase one.

CFC Quote for the week: "One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people." Dick Gregory


I CAN……Be Somebody's Hero! Now More Than Ever!


Thanks for your Support!

CFC t-shirt for sale

If you would like to purchase a shirt, write or call Postmarks (e-mail addresses and phone number can be found by clicking on the Contact Us tab) and we'll relay ordering information.

Congratulations to Daisy Judkins, who was the winner of last week's CFC Leadership Club Drawing. Ms. Judkins won an overnight stay at the Drury Inns & Suites on Hwy 280 along with a complimentary breakfast and dinner.

You can become a member of the 350 CFC Leadership Club by pledging $1,000 next year to the charities of your choice through Combined Federal Campaign giving. The Alabama District now has 83 Leadership Givers: our goal is 350. Every Friday until the campaign ends there will be a drawing for Leadership givers, so the sooner you get in your pledge, the better your odds for winning.

Some of the prizes to be awarded WEEKLY to LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTORS include:

Fitness Members from 1 to 6 months
Personal Training Certificates
Overnight Lodging at the Courtyard Marriott
18 Holes of Golf w/Cart
Restaurant Gift Certificates
Alabama & Auburn Apparel
Gift Cards to Retail Outlets

Drawings will be held at the end of the campaign for all other contributors.

 



Mooresville Post Office gets special recognition � The News-Courier in Athens, Alabama

Mooresville Post Office gets special recognition � The News-Courier in Athens, Alabama

By Karen Middleton 

karen@athensnews-courier.com

— The Mooresville Post Office, long a treasured local landmark, is getting state recognition through a special legislative resolution.

State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and the Town Council of Mooresville are hosting a reception in recognition of the Mooresville Post Office being “an important historic building with longevity and community importance” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24.

Orr is further honoring the structure through a resolution in the state Legislature.

Orr said that residents feared that in times of belt tightening in the postal department, that because of low volume, the facility might be closed.

The structure, built after 1840 of sawmill lumber, is now owned by the Town of Mooresville and is located at the corner of Lauderdale and High streets.

It is the oldest operational post office in the state of Alabama and has served the community from the same building for more than 150 years. The mailboxes and office furnishings are even older, having been transferred from the original post office in the tavern. The post boxes are numbered 1-48 and some families have had the same box number for several generations.

Mooresville is the first town incorporated by the Alabama Territorial Legislature, on Nov. 16, 1818. The entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is one of Alabama's most important and intact villages.

Showing their Hearts in Hartselle

This notice of an upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Event was sent in by Heather Fairbanks, the Acting Postmaster at the Harstselle, Alabama Post Office:

Hartselle Postal Employees are helping to deliver the cure this month of October.  A special event to honor Breast Cancer victims and their family and friends is being held on October 22, 2010 between 10:00am-1:00pm.  There will be refreshments and drawings for prizes that were donated by employees.  

The whole office is excited to be involved in this Delivering The Cure campaign.  The clerks have decorated the lobby with symbolic pink displays and bulletin boards to help sell the breast cancer awareness stamps.  To date, they have sold over $2500.00 in just the first week.  

The community has be very receptive and supportive, especially after a local paper wrote an article about us to get the word out.  As their Postmaster, I am extremely proud of their excitment to participate in the Delivering The Cure breast cancer awareness month to raise money for research. 

Heather Fairbanks

Hartselle, Al 35640

Thanks, Heather and all of the Hartselle Post Office employees, for getting involved and for reaching out to your community and to people everywhere who have suffered from or had a loved one suffer from breast cancer. We look forward to seeing pictures and results later in the month. 

Montgomery Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp Event

The Montgomery Post Office also conducted its own Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp Event on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. The Postal participants really put a lot of time and effort into decoration and promotion.

Supervisor Neva Rambo was the person responsible for planning the arrangements, and she did a fantastic job. 

Neva Rambo,  Custodian Herbert D. Bell, Jr., and Plant Manager's Secretary Ziann Goree. Once again, Ziann did all of the beautiful balloon decorations for the event. 

Created by the multi-talented Ziann Goree

Balloons by Ziann Goree, wreath by Neva Rambo

SSDA  Laneche Benefield

Postmarks thanks Ziann Goree for sending us all of the pictures and a summary of the event. 

Birmingham Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp Event

From 10:00 am until 12:00 pm on Thursday, October 7 the Birmingham Post Office held a Breast Cancer Awareness event, which was conducted by  Postmaster Sandy Scott. The purpose of the event was to raise money for breast cancer research via sales of the breast cancer stamp and to educate everyone about ways to prevent and detect breast cancer. "Every year, 190,000 are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States," said Scott. "40,000 of them died, which included 1,900 men."

One of the survivors present was Terri Davis, a Postal clerk in Birmingham.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in November, 2008. Initially, she discovered the lump in her own breast herself during a routine self examination. After undergoing a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction and 3 months of chemotherapy, Terri is back at work and does everything that she can to educate other people about breast cancer. "I just want everyone to do their breast self exams," Terri said.

During the event, Terri convinced a member of the public to schedule her annual mammogram. "I just asked her how old she was and how long it had been since she had a mammogram, and she agreed that it was time," Terri said.

Members of the Birmingham Post Office Team in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, which was held on Saturday, October 9. Prior to the race, they had already raised $1,500 for breast cancer awareness. They were participating in honor of Myra Brown, a fellow employee and dear friend to many in the group who died earlier in the year from breast cancer. Hopefully, Postmarks will be able to post pictures from the race later in the week.

Sylvia Stack was the team leader who organized the group. "The picture that I'm holding up is Myra at the last celebration that we had together," Sylvia said. "I want there to be a cure for cancer for my two grandchildren, Sloane and Sinclare."

Postal employees Jan Woodruff (l) and Judy Keeton. Jan is the manager of Birmingham MVS and is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2000. "I was one of the bald-headed ladies working for the Post Office," Jan said. She is doing okay now and has volunteered for six years with Reach for Recovery, a group with the American Cancer Society that visits hospitals and women who have found out that they have breast cancer. "I talk to them and let them know that there IS hope," Jan said.

Birmingham MVS employees. Front row: Steve Foshee, Mike Lawson, Kay Crumley, Marie Hanks. Back row:  Marty Mann, Phil Edwards, Jan Woodruff, David Lawson, Dwight Wren, Ryan (Cheese) Hamilton, Mike Runyans, Johnny Spain.  In support of their manager and the other people in their lives who have suffered from breast cancer, 100% of MVS employees came to the event to purchase a sheet of breast cancer awareness stamps!

Marie Hanks and Kay Crumley

MVS employees used their morning break to stand in a long line to purchase a sheet of breast cancer awareness stamps.

Left to Right: Reginald Capers, Mgr. Marketing; Andrée Kater, Mgr. BMEU; Jackie Watkins, Mailing Requirements Clerk - B’ham; Mary Thomas, Mailing Requirements Clerk - B’ham; Linda Dennis, Bulk Mail Tech - B’ham; and Jeremy Wells, BMEU Supervisor, Tour 3 -B’ham.

Girl Power in Centreville

Centreville, Alabama Post Office Staff. Standing from left: Dana Wallace, Sharon Lightsey, Mary Watkins, Carolyn Donner. Seated in front: Debbie Wolfe

Although the Centreville Post Office is located in run-of-the-mill strip mall, there is nothing ordinary about the Post Office or the wonderful people who work there.

To start with, the all-female staff makes safety more than a slogan: the office has been accident-free for over two years.

And it's not just their own well-being that concerns them. Almost all of the carriers have stories about members of the public that they have rescued. Most recently, City Carrier Mary Watkins stopped when she saw a car that had veered off the road, called an ambulance, and assisted the injured, confused driver until medical care arrived on scene, and carrier Laura Smith assisted an elderly customer who had fallen and broken her arm. These women watch out for themselves, each other, and the members of their community.

Postmaster Debbie Wolfe is quick to brag on her employees. "I have a wonderful group," she said. "We haven't had an unscheduled absence in a very long time. Everybody here cares about the customer."

And the employees in Centreville are just as quick to chime in with good things about her, too. "We love our boss. She's good to us. She lets us do our job, and we do it well," they said.

It's always nice to visit an office where not only does everyone get along and support each other but where everyone is committed to service and to the success of the Postal Service.

Postmarks thanks Debbie Wolfe for inviting us to her office and the employees of Centreville for doing a great job and giving us such a warm welcome.