USPS logo LINK — USPS employee news Printable

Here’s what Link covered Dec. 15-21

Stories of comfort and cheer — and a look ahead

A USPS letter carrier scans a package with a handheld device before handing it to a customer.
Customer Tom Parisi watches Gour Biswas, a letter carrier, scan the Postal Service’s 2.5 billionth holiday delivery in New York City on Dec. 4.

Busy, busy, busy! It’s the height of the Postal Service’s peak delivery season, and stories on the practical (holiday shipping tips) and the encouraging (the season’s 2.5 billionth delivery) filled Link last week.

Of course, there was plenty of the inspirational. Link profiled some of the employees featured in “Dear Santa,” a documentary series on USPS Operation Santa; and the “People” column provided an update on Jaylen Lockhart, a rural carrier associate in Aurora, IL, who helped an elderly man injured while walking his dog.

Lockhart, the subject of a “Heroes” column earlier this month, was recently given the honor of lighting his hometown’s Christmas tree.

“Not all heroes wear capes; some carry mailbags,” Aurora Mayor Richard Irvinsaid in a statement.

Another such hero was Gabrielle “Gabby” Washington. The city carrier assistant in Radcliff, KY, assisted a nonagenarian who fell, persuading him to go to the hospital.

The customer died a few weeks later, but a neighbor who also helped the man later visited the Post Office to thank Washington.

“He commended Gabby for taking the time to help comfort the customer and for saving his life in that moment,” said Marcedes Deans, a local customer services supervisor.

It’s the season of giving, and the Thrift Savings Plan’s new “Grow with the TSP” campaign is reminding employees not to forget to give back — to themselves.

It’s also the season for ethics rules reminders about gatherings and gift exchanges.

Looking ahead, we offered a preview of new stamp subjects for 2025, a look at stamp release dates for January through March, and shared the news that the window for applications for the Centralized Funding for Development scholarship, designed for nonbargaining employees, opens Jan. 1, New Year’s Day.