FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Media Relations
April 2, 2003 202-268-2155
www.usps.com

TOUCH, FEEL, KEEP;
MAIL CELEBRATED DURING NATIONAL CARD
AND LETTER WRITING MONTH

April Card and Letter Writing Campaign Ends May 11 With Mother’s Day

WASHINGTON – Spring is a time of hope and renewal, and the U.S. Postal
Service has a message to everyone who needs to reinvigorate relationships or rekindle
romance: “Touch them with a letter they can feel — and keep.”

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month. To mark this special time of
creative correspondence and the friendly exchange of passionate, poignant prose, the
Postal Service is extending this popular campaign by carrying it over into May,
culminating with the writing and sending of cards and letters for Mother’s Day, May 11.

“National Card and Letter Writing Month is an opportunity for all Americans to
rediscover the timeless and very personal art of letter writing,” said Postmaster General
John E. Potter. “Both in times of peace and conflict, cards and letters are the most
effective way to share and permanently record our thoughts, prayers, hopes and
dreams.”

Since the beginning of recorded history, famous people, from Moses to Martin
Luther King Jr., have written letters that helped shape the destinies of entire nations.
By putting their thoughts on paper, some of the most powerful figures of all time
created memoirs that not only have withstood the test of time but also serve as
guidelines for today’s youth.

This month, post offices across the country will be sponsoring a variety of
projects with local libraries and schools to promote literacy while teaching students
about the lasting importance of written correspondence.

Teachers may be interested in developing lessons on letter writing that also
discuss the historical significance of many of the people, places and things honored on
U.S. commemorative postage stamps. Background information on current stamps can
be found in the Collector’s Corner at the Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop or at the
American Philatelic Society’s Web site at www.stamps.org.

Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses
by mail. An independent federal agency that visits 137 million homes and businesses every day, it
is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives
no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale
of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $66 billion, it is the world’s
leading provider of mail and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates
in the world.

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