Carl Junction office tops in nation selling breast cancer awareness stamps

(From the Carl Junction Area Chamber of Commerce)

For the third consecutive year, the Carl Junction Post Office has claimed the Number One in the Nation designation, by winning the USPS' annual "Stamp Our Breast Cancer" campaign. Thousands of post offices across the nation compete to see which post office can sell the most breast cancer awareness postage stamps in October. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of all sales of the special postage stamp helps fund cancer research.

This is the seventh year in a row for Postmaster Sharon Clark and her staff to compete in the national competition. Clark is a two-time survivor of cancer herself. In the seven years that the Carl Junction Post Office has competed, the post office located in a town of 7,500 residents has placed in the Top Ten nationally for sales. For the last two consecutive years the Carl Junction Post Office has taken the Number One spot

. This year, for a third consecutive year, the Carl Junction Post Office has claimed the Number One again. The Carl Junction Post Office ended up edging out the second place winner, located in Punta Gorda, Florida, by $14, 308.80. Final sales for the local post office came to $53, 398.80.

For most of the month of October, the Carl Junction post office lagged behind several other post offices nationally, but consistently held the number one spot for the state of Missouri. In the final week of the competition, the Carl Junction Post Office saw it's rankings hover around the fifth and fourth place, going back and fourth most of the week. In the end, a rush of traffic the final two days were enough to take the Carl Junction Post Office across the finish line.

Postmaster Sharon Clark has expressed gratitude for the hundreds of individuals and businesses that showed their willingness to take part in raising money for cancer research. Clark has also been quick to add that equal satisfaction has been enjoyed this year, seeing more post offices willing to join the national competition. Ultimately, Clark says, there is a great pride in knowing that the Carl Junction Post Office will have a role in life-changing research.