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November 5, 2008

Carl Junction leaders fulfill pledge after fund-raising campaign

By Mike Pound

mpound@joplinglobe.com

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Joy Noel spent a minute or two chatting with Sharon Clark about Clark’s successful effort to sell $10,000 worth of breast-cancer-research stamps.

As Noel was about to leave the small alcove in the Carl Junction post office, she stopped to say what she thought was truly remarkable about the local campaign.

“Everyone got involved, the whole town,” she said.

After Noel left, Clark put her head down and was quiet for a second, then she looked up. When she did, there were tears in her eyes.

“I’ve been a postmaster since 1993,” she said. “I’ve never had a community that ...”

Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t finish her sentence. She just shook her head, smiled and wiped a tear away.

It’s obvious how Clark, a cancer survivor, feels about the support she received. The stamps sell for 55 cents —13 cents above normal price — with the U.S Postal Service donating the difference to breast-cancer research. Clark’s $10,000 drive raised nearly $2,400 for breast-cancer research.

When Clark decided to try for that $10,000 goal, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She certainly didn’t expect the entire community to take the project on its collective shoulders and adopt it as its own. But community groups, businesses and individuals began swooping into the Carl Junction post office buying the stamps.

The Carl Junction R-1 School District, in particular, took Clark’s quest under its wing. Superintendent Phil Cook said getting the district’s staff and faculty involved wasn’t a hard sell. He said several teachers are cancer survivors.

“Teachers are a very tight group,” Cook said.

Clark reached her $10,000 goal at 4:10 p.m. Friday — 20 minutes before the post office closed.

Then it was time for community leaders to keep their word.

Last week, members of the Carl Junction City Council, Mayor Mike Moss, police Chief Delmar Haase, fire Chief Bill Dunn and other city employees agreed to either dye their hair pink or wear pink wigs if Clark reached her goal.

On Tuesday, city leaders were spotted throughout town sporting pink. Cook wore his pink wig all day. He wore it to work. He wore it to lunch in Joplin. He wore it when he visited elementary school classrooms.

“I didn’t visit the junior high school or the high school because I was afraid of the names I might hear,” Cook said with a laugh.

On Tuesday night, the pink-wearing crowd gathered at City Hall to honor Clark during a City Council meeting. It was, Clark said, an emotional moment.

“It was almost as if we had won an election,” she said. “We were all hugging, laughing and crying.”

As grateful as Clark is for the support, she’s mystified by the attention she has received.

“I don’t think I deserve the thank-yous,” she said. “I think the whole town deserves the credit.”





Not too late



Carl Junction Postmaster Sharon Clark said the stamps are available for purchase year-round to raise money for breast-cancer research.

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