'Celebrate Scouting' Stamp Unveiled

National Letter Writing Campaign Launched to Support Our Troops

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service today gave
scouting 'a stamp of approval' to honor 100 years of the U.S. scouting
movement. The Celebrate Scouting stamp, which will be sold in the summer of
2010, coincides with the Boy Scouts of America's 100th anniversary.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091112/CG09927)

The new stamp design was unveiled Thursday during an event at the Smithsonian
National Postal Museum. The design, created by illustrator Craig Frazier of
Mill Valley, CA, depicts the spirit and outdoor adventure of scouting through
a backpacking scout and a large silhouette of a scout surveying the landscape.

Since the creation of the international youth scouting movement some 100 years
ago, hundreds of millions of children have benefited from opportunities for
adventure, skill building, leadership, personal development, and community
service provided by scouting organizations.

"I'm very proud to represent the United States Postal Service as we unveil the
artwork for the scouting commemorative stamp to be released in 2010 and to
recognize what scouting has done for boys and girls alike for more than 100
years," said USPS Sustainability Vice President, Samuel M. Pulcrano. "I
learned a great many things from scouting when I was a boy, and many of those
lessons came from my father who served as my assistant scoutmaster. The
experience made such an impression on me that I now serve as assistant
scoutmaster for my sons' troop."

Joining Pulcrano at the unveiling event were Allen Kane, Director of
Smithsonian National Postal Museum; Jim Terry, Boy Scouts of America Assistant
Chief Scout Executive; Bob Mersereau, Boy Scouts of America National Director
of the 100th Anniversary; Kevin Coleman, Manager, Information Policies and
Procedures, USPS; Sen. Dick Lugar, R-IN; and Ernest Green, member of 1957
Little Rock Nine, who helped integrate the nation's public school system, and
Honorary Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America National Hall of Leadership.
Green was one of nine African-American students who, in 1957, were the first
black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in
Little Rock, AR. He was the first black to graduate from the school.

The Postal Service appreciates the efforts of a number of individuals,
including Rep. Pete Sessions,
R-TX, Sen. Dick Lugar, R-IN, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-MO., and Sen. Ben Nelson,
D-Neb., in working toward creation of the Celebrate Scouting stamp and their
leadership on scouting.

In conjunction with the Celebrate Scouting announcement and Veteran's Day
observances, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced it will begin a
nationwide effort to support U.S. Armed Forces personnel serving overseas and
veterans by sending letters and care packages using the Priority Mail Flat
Rate Box through the Postal Service. Local DC-area scouts mailed letters and
shared news about the scouting stamp from the museum this morning. The letter
writing campaign continues the BSA's longstanding tradition of service and
performing "a good turn" daily.

"We are grateful to the USPS for commemorating scouting's contributions to our
nation for the past 100 years," said Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive, Boy
Scouts of America. "To continue our tradition of service, we are honored to
launch our letter writing campaign to support our troops serving overseas.
Regardless of our age, we never outgrow the joy of receiving a personal letter
in the mail. It is the least we can do for the service men and women to whom
we owe the deepest gratitude for their service."

The new Celebrate Scouting stamps will go on sale nationwide and will be
dedicated in July 2010 at the Boy Scout Jamboree at Ft. A.P. Hill, VA.

The Boy Scouts of America will celebrate its 100th anniversary on February 8,
2010. To mark this milestone, the organization has undertaken nationwide
celebration efforts that reintroduce the organization to today's young people
and families, reinforce the value of scouting, and reconnect with the millions
the organization has impacted. For more information on the Boy Scouts of
America, please visit www.scouting.org.

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. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited
website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of
postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most
Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted
Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual
revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If
it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in
the 2008 Fortune 500.

SOURCE United States Postal Service and Boy Scouts of America

Roy Betts of USPS, (O) +1-202-268-3207, (C) +1-202-256-4174,
roy.a.betts@usps.gov; or Virginia Starr, (O) +1-214-665-1330, (C)
+1-214-532-7061, virginia.starr@fleishman.com, for Boy Scouts of America