Features

The growth of this year’s event is apt, since the challenges our industry faces from the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Delivering for America plan make this kind of engagement twice as important. This event comes at a critical time, with yet another nickel stamp increase looming in July, a major review of the entire rate-setting system by the Postal Regulatory Commission due to begin that same month, and increasing frustration on Capitol Hill that mail service and postage pricing are out of control.

The public policy challenges are huge, but this event really highlighted the fundamental belief the greeting card industry has in the importance of cards in the mail. The common assumption is that young people don’t send mail. But this event drew hundreds of mostly Gen Z staffers who flocked to select a card to send to their mothers.

Their joy in selecting, writing, addressing — and yes, many needed instruction here — and finally dropping them in the mailbox was organic and pervasive. It is a rare experience these days for people from all political persuasions to be all smiling at the same time in the Capitol, but for a couple of hours on a random May day, hundreds of people shared the joy of doing a simple act of kindness to honor their mothers.

Hopefully, that experience will stay with them as they consider not only the huge challenges facing the USPS, but also the importance and need to overcome them. GCA will remain heavily engaged in the regulatory process supporting vitally needed legislation to make sure the USPS’ regulators have the tools and clear mandate they need to hold it to account.