[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8121]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             STAMP CAMP USA

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, philately, or stamp 
collecting, is a hobby that teaches history, art, geography, and even 
heraldry. As stamps have branched out into film and iconic figures, 
there seems to be no limit to the subjects they cover, from Elvis to 
dinosaurs to Laurel and Hardy.
  I rise today to honor Stamp Camp USA as it celebrates its 15th year 
in Elkland, Pennsylvania. The camp is the brainchild of Cheryl Edgcomb, 
who is the local postmaster in Nelson, Pennsylvania. Her camp 
introduces stamp collecting from basics, like sorting and handling, up 
to beginning exhibiting using both creative 3-dimensional and 
traditional formats.
  As the children learn, they earn ``stamp camp cash,'' which they use 
to purchase supplies for their hobby. There is a whole network of 
supporters of the camp, including 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, 
YWCA, public libraries, Experience Works, AmeriCorps VISTA, Head Start, 
and others. Stamp Camp USA has expanded to other regions of the 
country.
  This month, we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the camp in an 
attempt to break a new Guinness world record for the largest evident 
collection of rainbows on stamps. We wish them luck in the competition 
and continued success in teaching children to love collecting stamps.

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