Category Archives: Request

Day 226: Nicky

You may remember Nicky from earlier letters: Day 27 and Day 48. I’m calling on the 6-year-old today for some help in delivering a postcard to my Uncle Ted.

Day 197-2

This is the postcard that I enclosed for Nicky to send to my uncle.

I shared with you on Day 197 that I used to play a bit of a joke on my uncle by sending him anonymous postcards from around the world. I would incorporate the help of others to deliver the letters from places that would make it difficult to believe that yours truly is behind the prank.

Anyway, as my uncle lives in Oklahoma – just 25 miles away from Nicky – I thought it would be perfect to have the postcard stamped from someplace local. Surely it couldn’t be me. I mean if I were to travel so close to my aunt and uncle’s home I would have let them know.

So, there’s a chance Ted or my aunt Kay read this, in which case, the gig is up. But, I’m guessing these posts will slip under the radar. If you know Ted, please help me keep this going by not mentioning it to him. And if you want to be part of this project, send me a message and I will get you some postcards sent to you so that you can mail them from your town or some exciting travel destination.

Day 2226

Nicky,

It’s been a while since I wrote to you. I hope that you are enjoying your summer. I have been busy writing handwritten letters to lots of people.

I need your help. Can you please see that the enclosed postcard gets mailed? It’s for my uncle. It’s part of a joke that I am playing on him – I don’t want him to know that it is from me. I’ve sent him postcards from all over the world, but he’s never received one from so close to his house. And if your mom or dad happen to go to Norman or somewhere nearby, it would be even better to come from there.

There’s already a stamp on it, so it’s ready to go. 

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Reed

Day 217: Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation

Google's Doodle of the Day for August 5, 2015.

Google’s Doodle of the Day for August 5, 2015.

Good morning! If you search for something on Google today, you’ll seee their Doodle above which is paying tribute to the 101st anniversary of the first electric traffic light in the U.S. It got me thinking about something that has been bothering me for some time. Nobody likes a critique who doesn’t offer a solution, so I thought I would do just that and send a suggestion to our Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx. It might just make the roads a whole lot safer.

Day 217

Dear Mr. Secretary, 

101 years ago today the American Traffic Signal Company installed the U.S.’s first electric traffic signal system on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. The anniversary of this event inspired me to write to you today.

stoplight

Photo: LATimes.com

I’m colorblind and struggle deciphering traffic signals when it is dark and I can’t see the order of the lights. There seems to be a simple solution to this: create unique shapes for each color. Red could be a square, yellow a triangle and green a circle.

I know that some cities outside of the U.S. are experimenting with this (Quebec for example) – why don’t we start rolling this out as we replace signal lights? It just might save some lives.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Reed Sandridge

Day 204: President Jimmy Carter

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks at an Ethical Elections Pact signing ceremony in Panama City, Friday, March 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks at an Ethical Elections Pact signing ceremony in Panama City, Friday, March 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

A letter or phone call from President Carter would be epic. Happy birthday Kim!

Day 204

Dear President Carter, 

Your dedication to public service and improving the lives of people from all around the world inspires me. You and Mrs. Carter are fantastic role models for those in public service as well as regular citizens like myself who strive to build stronger communities.

I’m writing to you today to ask a favor. A dear friend of mine, Kim Perry, is celebrating her 45th birthday on August 1st. She is quite possibly your biggest fan – excluding your family of course. She is the Executive Director of DC Vote, a nonprofit dedicated to securing democratic equality for the citizens of the District of Columbia. I know your public service has influenced her to follow the path she has chosen and a birthday greeting from you would mean the world to her. I hope that you will consider this request. Her contact details are:

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With respect and admiration,
Reed Sandridge

 

Day 196: Mr. Tim Gomez, Dixon Ticonderoga Company

pencilsJust the other day I was sharpening some pencils in the office when a colleague said, “You still use pencils?” I was surprised by the question. I love using pencils and appreciate the way the graphite adheres to the paper and the strange but alluring smell of a freshly sharpened pencil.

I grew up chewing on Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, but recently I’ve gotten rid of the iconic yellow #2 pencil – and by the way, who is using anything but a #2? Anyway, as much as their eye-catching name and logo is an integral part of my schoolwork from yesterday, I’ve decided to give them up after learning that they no longer source their cedar from forests harvested by suppliers who comply with the standards established by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or use any post-consumer recycled product.

Maybe the information I found is out of date – I hope so. But until I hear otherwise, I’m no longer buying them…for now, I’ll be using Forest Choice, GreenLine Eco-Writer or Paper Mate Earth Write.

Day 196

Dear Mr. Gomez,

Like many school children in the U.S., I grew up using Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils. There’s something about the sweet cedar aroma from your pencils that still reminds me of the first day of a new school year.

The smell of that cedar led me to research your pencils and from what I could find, none of your pencils are made from post-consumer recycled product or wood from FSC certified supply chains. How come? It just seems like the right thing to do so that those young people holding your pencils will be able to grow up and enjoy our forests as you and I have.

Day 196-2

I hope to hear that you will make this right,
Reed Sandridge

P.S. This letter was written with a Paper Mate Earth Write #2 pencil made from 100% recycled content from reclaimed wood. 

 

Day 183: Pope Francis

Photo: L'Osservatore Romano

Photo: L’Osservatore Romano

Five years ago I met John Wojnowski on Day 121 of my Year of Giving. He’s an intriguing man. Every day he sits in front of the Vatican’s embassy here in Washington with signs condemning the Catholic Church. I wondered why, so one day I went to talk with him.

It turns out Wojnowski, who is Polish but moved as a child to Italy, says that when he was 15 he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in Milan. Despite the Catholic Church settling hundreds (possibly thousands) of cases of sexual abuse in recent years, they have been reluctant to consider Mr. Wojnowski’s claims because, according to Wojnowski, the priest has since past away and the incident happened more than a half century ago.

I have no doubts about Wojnowski’s claims – only something that hurtful and disturbing would make you lead such a personal and vulnerable crusade for nearly 20 years. He claims that a financial settlement will resolve this for him. I’m not so sure about that, but if that is what he thinks will give him peace, I hope that he receives it.

Day 183-2

Your Holiness,

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to you with a suggestion.

I live in Washington, D.C. Many things change here. Republicans and Democrats come and go with the change of administration. But one thing that has remained constant since I have lived here is John Wojnowski.

Day 183Every day for the past 17 years Mr. Wojnowski has stood in front of the Vatican’s embassy at the corner of Massachusetts and 34th Street holding signs that condemn the Catholic Church. The signs say thing like, “My life was ruined by a Catholic pedophile priest” and “The Vatican hides pedophiles.”

I’ve met Mr. Wojnowski – he shared with me the story of his sexual abuse by a Catholic priest in Milan, Italy in 1958. He’s a very troubled man who seeks financial restitution from the Church.

In the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People it details that the Catholic Church has paid more than $2.2 billion to settle 500+ sexual abuse cases in the U.S. in the past 13 years.

If you took the time to meet Mr. Wojnowski you wouldn’t doubt his story for a minute. He’s a simple man – he travels an hour each day, taking two buses, to get to the Vatican’s nunciature.

My point is this. He’s killing your image – thousands of people drive by him every day. He’s been doing this for nearly 20 years, he’s not going to stop until he dies or gets restitution. It just seems that the right thing to do is to offer him settlement. He can then move on with his life and you will not have someone tarnishing your brand every day. What do you think?

I hope that you will consider looking into this.
Reed Sandridge

P.S. I respect how you have led the Church these past two years. In a time when less people are identifying themselves as religious, you’re creating a renaissance, bringing younger Catholics back to the Church. And while I think there are still many reforms needed, it is inspiring to witness your leadership.