Every time Dawn Cook sees a co-worker sell an Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp, she thinks about her father.
Cook, the consumer and industry contact manager for Western Area’s Hawkeye District, recently placed her dad in a veteran’s home in Iowa after he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a form of progressive dementia related to Alzheimer’s.
“I am thankful the Postal Service is participating and working through stamp sales to help fund the research,” Cook said. “When you are dealing with a family member who has this disease, it means much more than just selling a stamp.”
Cook is one of many USPS employees who are doing their part to promote the Alzheimer’s stamp in June, which is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. The annual campaign by the Alzheimer’s Association aims to raise awareness of the 5.8 million Americans who live with the disease.
The Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp has raised more than $860,000 for research since its release in 2017. By law, revenue from the Alzheimer’s stamp — minus the postage paid and the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by the Postal Service — is distributed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The stamp is available at usps.com and Post Offices across the nation.
Kim Reynolds, a USPS customer relations coordinator in Peoria, IL, whose mother died from Alzheimer’s in 2001, plans to promote the stamp in June through lobby events and retail signage. She also looks forward to participating in local Walk to End Alzheimer’s events later this year.
Reynolds also buys Alzheimer’s stamps for her own use throughout the year.
“You can make a donation or participate in a walk, but I’m at the Post Office all day, so why not buy stamps when you need them,” she said.
