October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and from Saturday, Oct. 1 through Monday, Oct. 31, the Cassopolis Post Office will be getting its pink on for a “Pink at the Post Office” event to promote the sale of the breast cancer semi-postal stamp.
The Cassopolis Post Office is one of several hundred post offices in the Greater Michigan District, which covers post offices with zip code area beginning with prefixes 486-499, participating in this event.
Postmaster Sharon Vliek said: “Our retail associates will wear pink in support of this important project. Few things reach as many Americans each day as the U.S. mail, so the breast cancer semi-postal postage stamp provides an opportunity to raise money and awareness in support of important social issues.”
The breast cancer research stamp was the first semi-postal stamp in U.S. history when it was issued July 29, 1998 at The White House. By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised from the sale of the stamp goes to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent goes to the medical research program at the Department of Defense. More than 1 billion breast cancer semi-postal stamps have been sold to date since is issuance, with $7.41 million raised for research.
The Cassopolis Post Office will be serving pink cookies and pink lemonade in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Friday, Oct. 6.