Pembroke Pines FL—The U.S. Mail is one of the few things that reaches as many Americans every day, so stamps provide an opportunity to increase awareness and raise money for important social issues.

In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, South Florida Post Offices are encouraging their employees and customers to purchase Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamps to “send a message from the heart.”

The 55-cent Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamp covers the 44-cent single-piece, one-ounce First-Class letter rate and donates the additional 11 cents to breast cancer research. By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised goes to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent goes to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. Postal customers nationwide have purchased more than 800 million Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamps—raising $67.6 million for research—since this first semi-postal stamp in history was issued in 1998.

The Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamp features artwork of the mythical “goddess of the hunt.” Other semi-postal stamps have included the Stop Family Violence stamp to raise funds for domestic violence programs and the Heroes of 2001 stamp to raise funds for families of relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty in connection with the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

To support the fight against breast cancer, go to your local Post Office, call 1-800-STAMP24, or visit usps.com to purchase your Breast Cancer Research semi-postal stamps.

Also in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the “USPS Express Connection” team of postal employees will participate in the “Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure” on Saturday, October 17, at Bayfront Park located at 301 North Biscayne Blvd in downtown Miami.

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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/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.