Daily printout: Feb. 23

A private Facebook group with more than 8,600 members is doing its part to preserve a tradition that might seem out of step in the digital age: mailing greeting cards.

The group, called Random Acts of Cardness, allows members to post greeting card requests for themselves or others, such as a co-worker dealing with an illness or a loss, or a friend celebrating a birthday or anniversary.

Other members then respond to the requests by mailing cards to strangers to provide them with a pick-me-up.

“We are entirely a volunteer organization, and everybody is welcome to join,” said Megan Evans, a Wickliffe, OH, resident who started Random Acts of Cardness after her own spirits were lifted by greeting cards while recovering from a serious illness in 2015.

The group has more than doubled in size since 2021. Evans estimates 30 to 40 people join Random Acts of Cardness each day.

In addition to providing a place for people to request greeting cards, the group organizes activities, including a drive that resulted in more than 700 cards being mailed to members of the military during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group’s success is another sign of greeting cards’ enduring appeal.

Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, with annual retail sales estimated between $7 billion and $8 billion, according to the Greeting Card Association.

Because Random Acts of Cardness is a private Facebook group, the greeting card requests are not available to the public.

There is no cost to join the group, although members must pay for their own cards and postage. However, Random Acts of Cardness collects donations of cards, stamps and stationery for financially strapped members.

The membership includes more than a few mail enthusiasts.

D’Anne Olson, a retail associate at the Adena, OH, Post Office, joined Random Acts of Cardness a few years ago and said she appreciates how the organization inspires people to use the mail.

“It’s amazing. Today alone, I received eight cards in the mail,” she said.

Evans said she appreciates the important role USPS plays in the group’s efforts.

“We truly could not exist without the Postal Service. Our cards are delivered by men and women in blue and they are invaluable beyond measure,” she said.

The Postal Service will release its stamp honoring John Wooden on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to a record-setting 10 NCAA Division I basketball national championships, four perfect seasons and 88 consecutive victories.

Born in 1910 in rural Indiana, Wooden’s love of the game started early. He helped his high school team win a state basketball tournament in 1927, was an All-American at Purdue University three years in a row and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor for scholarship and athletic prowess.

In 1946, after serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, he started coaching at Indiana State University.

Wooden began his career at UCLA in 1948 and retired in 1975. During his tenure, the Bruins became one of America’s most well-known dynasties, earning Wooden the nickname the “Wizard of Westwood,” after the neighborhood where UCLA is located.

He is credited with helping to break the color barrier in college basketball as a coach and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice: in 1960, as a player for Purdue University in the 1930s, and in 1973, as a coach.

He was named NCAA basketball coach of the year six times.

In 2003, Wooden received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

He died in 2010 at age 99.

The John Wooden stamp was designed by Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS. It features a portrait of Wooden by illustrator Alexis Franklin, based on an early 1970s photograph by Norm Schindler.

The numbers on the two players’ jerseys — 4 and 10 — symbolize the Bruins’ four perfect seasons and 10 NCAA national championships under Wooden.

The Forever stamp will be available in panes of 20 at Post Offices and usps.com.

The Postal Service will dedicate the stamp Feb. 24 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.