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USPS News: Philatelic Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2001
Stamp Release No. 02-003
Mentoring A Child Stamp Will Be Issued During National Mentoring Month
WASHINGTON - In tribute to the thousands of volunteers who offer friendship, guidance and support to young people through mentoring, the U. S. Postal Service will issue the Mentoring a Child commemorative stamp in January 2002. The Harvard Mentoring Project and The National Mentoring Partnership are working together to launch the first annual National Mentoring Month. The Mentoring a Child stamp and National Mentoring Month honor the volunteers and organizations that sponsor or participate in mentoring programs.With the Mentoring a Child stamp, the Postal Service continues its tradition of raising public awareness of social issues. The First Day of Issue dedication ceremony will be held Thursday, January 10, 2002, at 9:00 a.m. in the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street, Annapolis, Md.
Participating in the dedication ceremony will be Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee Member 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 will be The National Mentoring Partnership Founding Co-Chairs Geoffrey T. Boisi and Raymond G. Chambers, and The Maryland Mentoring Partnership Board Co-Chairman Stuart O. Simms.
At the Mentoring a Child stamp unveiling which occurred last November at The National Mentoring Partnership's annual recognition event, Strasser shared the mentoring spirit of the U.S. Postal Service: "We place a great deal of value on mentoring within the Postal Service. The best way to prepare the new generation of leaders is for the current generation to guide, advise, and develop them."
"We're extremely proud of the Mentoring stamp," he continued. "Raising public awareness of mentoring will let the Postal Service help make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of young people."
The Mentoring a Child commemorative stamp pays tribute to the selfless men and women who volunteer as mentors 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, schools, religious communities and corporations, volunteers who 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 young people from diverse backgrounds benefit from relationships with committed adults outside their families.
With headquarters in Alexandria, Va., The National Mentoring Partnership is an advocate for the expansion of mentoring and mentoring initiatives nationwide. The National Mentoring Partnership provides assistance to any organization or individual wanting to develop, operate or volunteer in a mentoring program.
The Mentoring a Child stamp will be available at local Annapolis post offices following the First Day of Issue Ceremony and nationwide beginning January 11, 2002. The 34-cent self-adhesive stamp features a striking design that conveys the benefits of mentoring. Hidy's computer-generated artwork depicts an adult offering guidance to a child. The type on 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.
For more information on mentoring or National Mentoring Month, visit the National Mentoring Partnership at www.mentoring.org.
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TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Mentoring a Child
Item Number: 452200
Denomination & Type of Issue: 34-cent Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: January 10, 2002, Annapolis, MD 21401
Designer: Lance Hidy, Merrimac, MA
Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Typographer: Lance Hidy, Merrimac, MA
Artist: Lance Hidy, Merrimac, MA
Modeler: Donald H. Woo
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: Sennett Security Products (SSP)
Printed at: American Packaging Corporation, Columbus, WI
Press Type: Rotomec, 3000
Engraver: Armotek Industries
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 125 million stamps
Paper Type: Pre-phosphored, Type I
Gum Type: Self-adhesive
Processed at: Unique Binders, Fredericksburg, VA
Colors: Magenta, Yellow, Cyan, Black, L. Black
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.40 x 1.075 in./35.56 x 27.31 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.55 x 1.225 in./39.37 x 31.12 mm
Pane Size (w x h): 7.75 x 7.875 in./196.85 x 200.03 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "S" followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings: "Ó 2001 USPS" · Price · Plate Numbers in all four corners · Plate Position Diagram · 2 UPC codes on back of pane · "MENTORING A CHILD, SETTING GOALS, TEACHING SKILLS, TEACHING VALUES"
Catalog Item Number(s): 452240 Pane of 20 w/plate no. & Selvage - $6.80
452230 Block of 10 - $3.40
452220 Block of 4 - $1.36
452261 First Day Cover - $0.55
HOW TO ORDER THE FIRST DAY OF ISSUE POSTMARK
Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase the stamps at their local post, affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to: MENTORING A CHILD STAMP, POSTMASTER, 1 CHURCH CIRCLE, ANNAPOLIS MD 21401-9998.
After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service returns the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by February 7, 2002. Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers the first day covers for new stamp issues and postal stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by writing to: INFORMATION FULFILLMENT, DEPT 6270, US POSTAL SERVICE, PO BOX 219014, KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014, or by calling 1 800 STAMP-24.
First day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamp has been issued.
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