Dedicated Garden City Letter Carrier Celebrates 38 Years In Service: 'I’ve Made So Many Friends Here'

GARDEN CITY, NY — Garden City Post Office letter carrier Jacqueline La Rosa has been serving her Garden City community for more than three decades — and celebrated her 38th work anniversary this month.

As part of an initiative by the Postal Service, La Rosa is being honored in a "For the Long Haul" campaign that celebrates the dedication and commitment of postal workers who have served their communities in the same position for over 25 years.

La Rosa is a Lynbrook resident, and celebrated her work anniversary on Dec. 5. For La Rosa, the job is about the people she meets along the way.

"I’ve made so many friends here," she said. "We’ve shared many life events together. Many people still remember when I was having my son 26 years ago, and they love hearing how far he has come in life– he just recently passed the bar. I am a very proud mama."

Having spent years serving the same neighborhoods, she has watched families expand over the years.

"I enjoy watching other people’s families grow as well, so many beautiful babies that I have had the pleasure to watch grow up, including three children that I watched grow up, have now moved back onto my route and started families of their own," she said.

She added that throughout her years, there have been joys and losses.

"I love working in Garden City because there is such a sense of community — they watch out for each other; they watch out for me," she said. "Along with happy moments, I have lost many friends, including my bestie, Suze."

Reflecting on how she became a letter carrier, she said her parents are to thank. Her parents encouraged her and her two brothers to take civil service tests. Her brothers were NYPD officers — one a detective and one a sergeant.

She said she loves working in Garden City and being a letter carrier.

"I am a people person," she said. "I love people. I love being outside in nature, and I even enjoy the cold. You just have to know how to dress for the weather."

She said she understands the many different forms mail can take and the importance each holds for her community members.

"I’m sure most would say that I have gone the extra mile for them, but you have to treat everybody as you would want them to treat you," La Rosa said. "Their mail is a very important part of their life. There are finances, packages, party invitations, and college acceptance letters, all of which ranked very high in no particular order. I have also returned some children to their lonely loved ones. Sometimes the little ones like to wander away."

La Rosa said that she delivers mail to apartment buildings as well, and many of those buildings are home to elderly people who want to talk: "I love being that happy smiling face for them and to chit chat."

She said she cares about her customers — their homes, children, and pets. In addition to being customer-driven, she said the job keeps her physically active, averaging more than 23,000 steps on a typical day and up to 36,000 on longer days.

La Rosa said that although her job is primarily rewarding, there are, of course, some challenges as well, such as that sometimes, people may not be kind, "but with age comes wisdom — perhaps they’re just having a bad day. We all have them."

To better serve her community, she would like to leave the public with a few tips for a more accurate delivery. She said it is best to print the return address on the upper left-hand corner of the envelope and not in the back, even if it looks "very fancy on the back." She said that the computer reads most of the mail, and having the return address on the back can delay delivery.

As it gets darker out earlier, she would like people "to remember to keep your porch lights on."