A United States Postage Stamp
commemorating B.J. Palmer and
the chiropractic profession!
It’s long overdue and the WCA has launched
a massive campaign to make it happen.
(Click the image on the left to see full size image of the
envelope in which the actual proposal was sent! The empty spot is reserved
for the CHIROPRACTIC stamp! Warning: Large file!)
Click here
to read the letters from chiropractic leaders and members of Congress in
support of the Chiropractic Postage Stamp
Click here to go directly to the "How to Help"
section!
For months, the World Chiropractic Alliance has worked
behind the scenes to lay the groundwork for this incredible effort. Now, it has the
support of all major chiropractic organizations (including the ICA, ACA, FSCO, and COCSA!)
and colleges around the country. A special "Chiropractic Postage Stamp Task
Force," headed by Drs. Brian Stenzler and Dan Matzner of New York, has been formed to
coordinate the campaign.
One of the best stamp artists in the country has created a
stunning prototype of a B.J. Palmer commemorative stamp, and a national stamp expert has
helped plan many of the activities which go into a successful stamp drive.
Already, numerous members of Congress have been contacted
in order to solicit their support, and soon, the official proposal will be submitted to
the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for its consideration.
What it will mean to chiropractic
Of course, a chiropractic U.S. Postal Stamp will be an
important symbol. It will take its place next to the stamps honoring medical, dental and
osteopathic subjects, and will show the world that the United States recognizes
chiropractic’s role in in American health care.
But it will be more than just a symbol. Think about how proud and excited you’ll
feel when you can mail letters to your patients (as well as friends and family!) with a
U.S. Postage Stamp honoring chiropractic and B.J. Palmer! Then, think about the tremendous
positive publicity such a stamp will generate for chiropractic. There will be a
"first day of issue" celebration, public announcements and press releases from
the Postal Service. And millions of Americans will be reminded of chiropractic every time
they receive or mail a letter!
An effort the entire profession
can wholeheartedly support!
This ambitious and exciting program will be a tremendously
healing activity for our profession. All doctors of chiropractic, and chiropractic
organizations, share a love for this profession and a respect for its developer, B.J.
Palmer. This is one project where we can agree totally and work together for a common
cause. We will prove to ourselves and others that, when we act in harmony, we can
accomplish great things!
We are inviting all doctors and organizations to join this
effort in a spirit of cooperation and unity. This campaign transcends politics and
disagreements in philosophy or techniques. It’s the ideal opportunity to put aside
our differences and focus on something positive for all of chiropractic. Since this is a
truly "non political" effort, there's no reason why anyone should object or
refuse to participate!
It’ll take all of us to get this accomplished!
Getting a new postage stamp suggestion accepted is a real
challenge. Each year, the Postal Service receives approximately 40,000 proposals
recommending subjects for stamps. The suggestions and proposals are evaluated by the
Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, established in 1957. The 15 members of the Committee --
who represent a wide variety of Americans from all walks of life -- meet four times a year
in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the actual information in the proposal, the Committee tries to judge how
much public support the stamp will receive. They look for subjects which will, in the
words of the Postal Service, "have broad national interest." That’s why
they carefully track the number of supporting letters each idea generates. A subject which
produces intense positive response from the public is more likely to be chosen than one
which has a lukewarm reception.
To be successful, a stamp proposal needs to be backed
by many thousands of letters over an extended period!
After reviewing the approximately 40,000 ideas submitted to
them, they make their recommendations to the Postmaster General for the various regular
stamps and the 30-35 commemorative stamps issued each year.
The Postmaster General, relying heavily on the Committee’s recommendations, makes
the final decisions and the approved stamp subjects are scheduled for issuance.
The entire process normally takes at least three years --
but for chiropractic, it will be worth the wait!
The World Chiropractic Alliance has already taken several
important steps toward achieving this exciting goal. Our official "Chiropractic
U.S. Postage Stamp" proposal to the Citizens Committee includes background
information on chiropractic and B.J. Palmer, as well as persuasive arguments as to why
this stamp should be issued. We’ve contacted numerous key members of the new Congress
and the incoming Administration to solicit their support for the stamp as well.
We even commissioned an artist to produce a high-quality prototype stamp, which will
give postal officials a better idea of our vision. Naturally, because stamp design is such
an exacting art, the postal service will create its own design if the proposal is
accepted.
Now, the ball is in YOUR court!
Don’t forget -- the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee
receives up to 40,000 proposals and suggestions each year and looks for those ideas which
have the broadest "national interest." B.J. Palmer and chiropractic will be
competing with historical figures, movie stars, sports legends, literary giants -- people
from every imaginable field of endeavor. Some stamp subjects -- like Elvis Presley -- can
generate tremendous public support and it’s up to us to do the same for B.J.
There will be several ways for you to get involved to make sure the
Chiropractic Postal Stamp becomes a reality:
Send postcards
..
. and
get friends, family, staff members -- AND PATIENTS -- to send them, too. Postcards with a
printed message of support are available for any U.S. doctor of chiropractic wishing to
become involved in this project. Just email
the Stamp Task Force and ask for for a FREE packet of 100 pre-printed
postcards for you and your patients to use.
Write letters.
Not just one, but one every month until the stamp subject is accepted!
That’s right -- starting in March (when the proposal is submitted) you can
"vote" for the chiropractic stamp every month. Write to: Citizens Stamp Advisory
Committee, U.S. Postal Service, Stamp Development, Rm 5670, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW,
Washington, DC 20260-2437.
Note: The Committee doesn’t track how many
individual people are supporting the design, only how many postcards letters they receive.
If each licensed doctor in the U.S. writes one letter a month, the Committee will log in
more than 720,000 letters in just one year. If each doctor has just two
staff or family members sending out monthly letters, we’ll have another 1.4 million
letters by this time next year! Combined with the letters from the doctors themselves,
that’s more than 2 million letters in one year.
Get your family and staff to write letters. We need
to show that the chiropractic stamp will have broad appeal -- not only from D.C.s.
After the proposal is submitted in March, have them send their letters to: Citizens
Stamp Advisory Committee, U.S. Postal Service, Stamp Development, Rm 4474E, 475 L'Enfant
Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-2437.
If you belong to other chiropractic organizations,
urge them to support and publicize the Chiropractic Postage Stamp campaign. It’s
something that will benefit ALL of us.
Direct other
people to this webpage so everyone will find out about the campaign. Link your site to
this page or publish it in your practice newsletter.
B.J. gave us so much. Isn’t it time we gave him something in
return? Let’s do everything we can to make sure he’s honored with a U.S.
Postage Stamp.