WHO:
Dr. Leif Rogers, M.D.
USPS Consumer Affairs Manager Beverly Young
Mya Worthey and her daughter Shimaya
WHAT:
will share the series of events that led up to Shimaya (who was born without an ear and hearing on one side) soon having surgery that will provide hearing and reconstruct her ear. As an answer to a letter written by Shimaya’s mother to Santa, Doctors Leif Rogers and Sheryl Lewin are donating medical procedures.
WHEN:
10 a.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011
WHERE:
Office of Dr. Leif Rogers, M.D.
436 N. Bedford Dr. Ste. 104
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Press conference will be held in courtyard of medical building. Parking is available on the street and in public lot across from building.
Background:
For generations, writing a letter to Santa Claus has been a tradition during the holidays. And for some kind-hearted folks, answering those letters is also part of the holiday season.
Back in 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized postal employees and local citizens to respond to the many letters written to Santa. The goodwill program, known as Operation Santa, has grown and changed over the years. Today handwritten letters addressed to Santa Claus sharing dreams and wishes still arrive at the Post Office during the holidays. Although current privacy and security regulations prevent personal information contained in the letters (such as a last name and address) being given to the public, the program continues on with the Postal Service acting as middle man.
District Consumer Affairs Manager Beverly Young, who coordinates Operation Santa in Los Angeles, came across Mya Worthey’s letter asking Santa for help and describing her daughter’s handicap. Young managed to get the right people connected with the family to make what Worthey considered an impossible dream become a reality.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
