August 5-9, 2024 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
60 The Postal Record August 2024 “Her face lit up because we left all the toys that we were going to leave for them anyway in that room. And I said, ‘Mia, just pick anything that Like the system itself, Twomley’s slogan for the operation is simple: “Everyone gets a toy.” Twomley said the satisfaction of seeing the joy his work brings chil- dren is its own reward. He still re- members a mother who called and pleaded with him to keep a toy give- away at a shelter open late one day, because she was late bringing her daughter. “She comes running in, and she’s out of breath,” he said. The woman was parked in the street because she couldn’t find parking, so some- one went to watch her car and oth- ers brought her daughter, Mia, who used a wheelchair, inside. Heroes of the Year come in, they pick whatever they want.” Despite serving so many chil- dren, the Better Angels always seem to have extra gifts for others who reach out for help, because they lean on the community to do- nate along with postal employees. “Right now, I have about 300 toys in my secret toy closet in the post office,” Twomley said. “The carriers ask some of these high-rise build- ings—we’re in Midtown—to put out a toy box. The whole neighborhood knows us already. So we put the collection boxes in there.” The Better Angels piggyback on the postal network to retrieve the toys. “We have relay drivers. They have to bring relays out there. So, every time they go to the building, they check the box to see if it’s full and they bring them back. That’s how simple it is.” Several other sta- tions in the area now help to collect toys from donation boxes. “And management is 100 percent behind me with this,” he added. “Even our area manager is getting involved with me as well because he has a friend in the New York Po- lice Department—and we just made an announcement that we’re going to be joining forces with them as well.”
band was doing heavy metal stuff, so I like harder stuff,” Bittner said, and added that his biggest musi- cal inspiration is Iron Maiden bass player Steve Harris. “But we tend to try and pick songs that we know will go over with the crowd,” he said. “We’re more inclined to do Michael Jackson and Prince. We don’t do Metallica and Megadeth, you know what I mean?” The carrier was enjoying play- ing regular gigs with the band when uNGLuED’s singer, Wally, ap- proached them in the fall of 2020 and told them about his longtime desire to do a traveling Christmas show by driving around a truck to a few locations, and the band would then play some Christmas carols on the back to spread some cheer. “I immediately said, ‘Yeah, I’m in,’ ” Bittner said. However, that winter of 2020, CO- VID-19 was spreading, and events were shutting down. They began to fear that they’d get in trouble for gathering, so Bittner suggested that maybe they raise some mon- ey to help out people who need it while they play, in case they were questioned by police. Then, fortuitously, an acquain- tance of the carrier heard about their plans and asked if she could put them in touch with a friend of hers who is a retired prosecutor, who works with a charity and who could help the band find families who could be helped through the money collected. “And boy, did she ever,” Bittner said. “I mean, you hear these nightmare, horrible stories about everything from people that had lost their jobs and just were hurt- ing for money with little kids to a woman that was a victim of domes- tic violence and kind of out on her own.” Plans soon came together, and the band began scouting locations and practicing songs. Wally spent a few weeks preparing the 20-foot utility trailer, and attaching the drum set to it so they can travel with it.
you want. It’s yours,’ ” he said. “Her mother started crying, and for everybody in that room, there was not a dry eye in the place. And she picked up her toys, and we made her day. And for that moment, that moment is exactly why we do that.” Twomley and the other Better An- gels want to grow the project even more by getting more stations in New York City involved in collecting toys. After 37 years on the job, Twom- ley is thinking about retiring soon, but he doesn’t plan to stop deliver- ing joy: “I actually ripped out my garage and put an office together, and it’s just about done. So, when I retire, that’s going to be our main headquarters, and then I’m going to concentrate every year going around to all the post offices.” Humanitarian of the Year Harry Bittner of Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540 Music has always been a part of Harry Bittner’s life. He grew up lis- tening to Motown records around the house that his parents played, and then got exposed to rock ’n’ roll music through neighborhood kids. He picked up a bass guitar when he was 15 and has loved playing ever since. “I got started just be- cause a friend of mine was kind of dabbling with the guitar,” he said. “His older brother was in a band, and we would sneak down and play their instruments when they weren’t around.” Fast-forward to 2019, when the Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540 member joined a five-member cover band called uNGLuED. They practice once a week, usually per- form two shows a month at bars or other events like festivals, and the bandmates work together to choose songs to cover. “They jokingly call me ‘Heavy Metal Harry’ because my back- ground before doing this cover
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