FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The U.S. Postal Service and Highlights for Children, Inc., will celebrate the printing of 1 billion copies of Highlights for Children magazine, which made its debut in June 1946.
Copies of Highlights magazine to join the National Postal Museum collection on August 23, 2006 during a special event hosted by the Museum and the Postmaster General of the United States.
Copies of Highlights magazine to join the National Postal Museum collection on August 23, 2006 during a special event hosted by the Museum and the Postmaster General of the United States.| WHAT: | The U.S. Postal Service and Highlights for Children, Inc., will celebrate the printing of 1 billion copies of Highlights for Children magazine, which made its debut in June 1946. |
| WHO: | John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Postal Service Kent S. Johnson, CEO, Highlights for Children, Inc. Christine French Clark, Editor, Highlights for Children magazine Allen Kane, Director, National Postal Museum |
| WHEN: | Wed., Aug. 23, 2006 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. |
| WHERE: | National Postal Museum 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE Washington, D.C. 20002 |
| BACKGROUND: | The U.S. Postal Service for six decades has helped connect young readers in America by delivering Highlights for Children magazine. A staple of schools, libraries and professional offices across America, the publication is an important advocate of children's education — and a warm reminder of childhood for members of the Baby Boomer generation. With more than 2 million subscribers, Highlights for Children (www.highlights.com) provides a monthly collection of fiction, nonfiction, crafts, puzzles and activities. The publication also includes a mix of letters, drawings, questions and poems submitted by its readers. Each issue delivered by a Postal Service letter carrier is a pathway to literacy. The magazine is published by Highlights for Children, Inc., with corporate offices in Columbus, OH. Its editorial office is in Honesdale, PA. The publication is printed by Quebecor World, Inc., in Clarksville, TN. The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, was created by an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Postal Service in 1990 and opened to the public in 1993. |
| USPS CONTACT: | Sue Brennan, 202-268-6363 (office), Sue.Brennan@usps.gov |
| HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN CONTACT: | Patricia M. Mikelson, Highlights Corporate Communications, 614-324-7003, pmmikelson@highlights-corp.com |
| NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM CONTACT: | Allison Gallaway, 202-633-5509 (office), gallawayal@si.edu |
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Highlights for Children, Inc. (www.Highlights.com) has focused on helping children become their best selves for generations. Highlights magazine celebrated the printing and delivery of the one-billionth copy of the magazine and its 60th anniversary through summer 2006. Highlights High Five™, devoted to pre- and emerging readers (ages two to six) will publish in January 2007. On the Web, www.HighlightsKids.com offers children interactive content related to each issue of the magazine, as well as independent activities such as "Click-and-Play Hidden Pictures®," e-cards, games, craft activities, "Mystery Messages," jokes, and riddles. Devoted to "Fun with a Purpose®," Highlights for Children also offers children, parents, grandparents, and educators a broad range of products including the Highlights for Children Book Clubs (Puzzlemania®, Mathmania®, Which Way USA?®, Top Secret Adventures™, and Hidden Pictures Playground®). Highlights Toy Catalog (www.Highlights.com) selects quality toys, games, craft activities, puzzles, and other products that children will love and parents can trust. Corporate offices are in Columbus, Ohio, and the editorial offices are in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
United States Postal Service (www.usps.com)
Since 1775, the United States Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day, the Postal Service is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. It receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products, and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume—some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year—and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.
For more information or to arrange an interview with a Highlights for Children spokesperson, please contact Patricia M. Mikelson, Highlights Corporate Communications at pmmikelson@highlights-corp.com or 614-324-7003.