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Philatelic News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2002
Stamp Release #02-007
Mentoring A Child Stamp Issued At Maryland Hall For The Creative Arts
WASHINGTON - In tribute to the thousands of volunteers who offer friendship, guidance, and support to young people through mentoring, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated the Mentoring A Child commemorative stamp today at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Md. Participating in the dedication ceremony were Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening; Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee Member Richard "Digger" Phelps; Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for the Postal Service Richard J. Strasser; and the Mentoring A Child stamp designer and illustrator Lance Hidy. Also participating were Executive Director of The National Mentoring Partnership Gail Manza; Board Co-Chairman of The Maryland Mentoring Partnership Stuart O. Simms; Deputy State Superintendent, Maryland State Department of Education, Dr. A. Skipp Sanders; and Baltimore District Manager, Customer Service and Sales, U.S. Postal Service, W. C. "Bill" Miner.In his remarks, Strasser shared the mentoring philosophy of the Postal Service. "We place a great deal of value on mentoring within the Postal Service," he said. "The best way to prepare the new generation of leaders is for the current generation to guide, advise, and develop them. The Postal Service looks forward to raising public awareness of mentoring and helping to make a positive difference in the lives of young people."
With the Mentoring A Child stamp, the Postal Service continues its tradition of highlighting social issues and honors the volunteers and organizations that sponsor or participate in mentoring programs through organizations that include Communities In Schools, Girl Scouts of the USA, 100 Black Men of America, Everybody Wins!, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as schools, religious communities and corporations. Volunteers share constructive and fun activities with young people after school and on weekends, and encourage others to also volunteer. Many mentoring programs are tailored for disadvantaged youth, but all young people can benefit from relationships with committed adults outside their families.
"Today's issuance of the Mentoring A Child stamp - and the USPS' distribution of 125 million of these stamps nationwide - will have tremendous impact in raising public awareness about mentoring," said Gail Manza, executive director, The National Mentoring Partnership. "Mentoring organizations around the country owe a special debt of gratitude to the U.S. Postal Service for issuing this stamp - and for encouraging adults to share their valuable skills and experience with young people through mentoring."
The National Mentoring Partnership is an advocate for the expansion of mentoring and mentoring initiatives nationwide, and provides assistance to any organization or individual wanting to develop, operate, or volunteer in a mentoring program. For more information on mentoring, visit the National Mentoring Partnership at www.mentoring.org.
The Mentoring A Child stamps are available today at local Annapolis post offices and nationwide tomorrow. The 34-cent self-adhesive stamp features a striking computer-generated design by Lance Hidy that depicts an adult offering guidance to a child. The stamp reads "Mentoring A Child" at the top and "Values o Goals o Skills" at the bottom.
This was Hidy's first project for the Postal Service. Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., was the art director.
To see the Mentoring A Child stamp, visit the Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com and locate the online version of this press release by clicking on "News and Events" then "Philatelic News." Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available by calling 1 800 STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available in the Postal Store at www.usps.com.
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For more than 225 years, the United States Postal Service has been the gateway to the household, binding friends, families and neighbors together. It is an independent federal agency that handles 46 percent of the world's mail volume, with annual revenues of $65 billion. The Postal Service is not funded with taxpayer dollars, but derives its revenues solely from the sale of postage and other products and services it provides. Through its unrivaled service network, the Postal Service delivers money, messages and merchandise daily to 135 million addresses, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world.
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