Both Bella Vista post offices -- along with their counterparts nationwide -- are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month in October through the sale of Breast Cancer Research First-Class Semipostal stamps.
The Bella Vista post office located at 555 Memorial Drive, and the Highlands branch office located 1750 Forest Hills Blvd., are ready to help stamp out breast cancer.
The self-adhesive, non-denominated semipostal stamp is sold in sheets of 20 60-cent stamps. The price of a semipostal pays for the first-class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase. The stamps are available at all Arkansas post offices, online at www.usps.com and by phone at 1.800.STAMP.24.
By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised is given to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent is given to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. As of August 2016, the stamp has raised more than $82.9 million for breast cancer research.
The Breast Cancer Research First-Class Semipostal stamp was issued on July 29, 1998, at a first day ceremony held in the White House. It was the first semipostal stamp in U.S. history. In 1997, Congress authorized the issuance of the first semipostal stamp for the specific purpose of raising funds from the American public to assist in finding a cure for breast cancer.
In 2015, President Obama signed Public Law No. 114-19 that extended the sale of the Breast Cancer Research Semipostal stamps through December 31, 2019.
Designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Md., the stamp features the phrases, "Fund the Fight" and "Find a Cure" and an illustration of a mythical "goddess of the hunt" by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
General News on 10/19/2016