Fund the Fight.  Find a Cure.  

Background Summary 

The Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp was issued July 29, 1998, at a first-day ceremony held in tne East Room of the White House.  It was the first semipostal in U.S. history.  Sales for the Breast Cancer Research (BCR) Stamp in February 2019 bring the total raised for breast cancer research to over $89 million, and stamps sold over 1.05 billion since July 1998.  By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised is given to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent is given to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.  Designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, the BCR Stamp features the phrases, “Fund the Fight” and “Find a Cure,” and an illustration of Artemis, also referred to as Diana, tne mythological “goddess of the hunt” by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore.

Source: Adapted from https://about.usps.com/corporate-social-responsibility/semipostals.htm

The Problem, The Need & Urgent Call to Action

The issuance of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp is set to end at the end of this year unless federal legislation to reissue this historic stamp designed to save lives is passed and signed into law by the president of the United States.  

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp is the first semipostal (fundraising) stamp in U.S. history.

Well over 1.05 billion Breast Cancer Research Stamps have been sold to date with over $87.8  million raised thus far for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense  (DoD) since July 29, 1998.

It is time to take the fate of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp out of the hands of Congress and the President, and for the U.S. Postsl Service to make it a true Forever Stamp permanently.

Please help is make this a reality by signing and circulating this petition throughout all social media platforms and to all you know.

About the Breast Cancer Research Stamp

Help Stamp Out Breast Cancer!  Source: United States Postal Service (USPS); https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2018/pr18_080.htm

These 65-cent self-adhesive semipostal stamps are available year-round in sheets of 20 to help raise funds for breast cancer research.  Each stamp is equal to the First-Class Mail 1-ounce postage rate in effect at the time of purchase.  The stamps are available at Post Offices nationwide, online at https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/2014-breast-cancer-research-S_555304 by mail order through USA Philatelic catalog, or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724).

The amount the Postal Service contributes to breast cancer research is determined by the difference between the 65-cent purchase price and the First-Class Mail rate in effect at the time of purchase, minus any costs incurred by USPS.  The distribution of the U.S. Postal Service contribution is specified by law, with 70 percent given to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent given to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.  More than 1 billion stamps have been sold since its inception in 1998, raising more than $87.8 million as pf October 2018 for breast cancer research.

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp was the first semipostal stamp in U.S. history. In 1997, Congress authorized it for the specific purpose of raising funds from the American public to assist in finding a cure for breast cancer.  In 2015, President Obama signed legislation that extended the sale of the stamp through Dec. 31, 2019.

Designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, the stamp features the phrases, “Fund the Fight” and “Find a Cure” and an illustration of a mythical “goddess of the hunt” by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore.

In addition to the Breast Cancer Research stamp, the Postal Service offers two other fundraising stamps. The Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp, first issued in 2011, has raised more than $5.2 million to help protect threatened and vanishing species. In addition, the Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp was issued in 2017 and has raised more than $524,000 to fund Alzheimer’s research. All three stamps help raise money for causes in the national public interest and are available for purchase year-round. The Postal Service is promoting each of these stamps through the remainder of the year — starting with the Breast Cancer Research stamp in October, continuing with the Alzheimer’s stamp in November and concluding with Save the Vanishing Species in December. 

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Forever stamps are always valid for first-class one ounce postage.

Breast Cancer Research Stamps are Self-Adhesive USPS Postage Stamps.

Valid as first-class USPS postage.

White House Unveiling & First Day of Issuance Ceremony for the Breast Cancer Research Stamp July 29, 1998

https://www.c-span.org/video/?109486-1/breast-cancer-research-stamp

 Thank you!