TeacheRewards Gift Certificates Make Perfect Gifts for the End of the School Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, March 18, 2004—Are you searching for a great gift for your child's teacher for the end of the school year? Do you want to show your appreciation with something other than an ordinary coffee mug, stationery or box of cookies?

The new TeacheRewards Gift Program is the answer. It's an online, quick and convenient way to give something that teachers really want—a gift certificate to one of their favorite retailers. It's the perfect gift for the end of the school year, the holidays and other occasions throughout the year. And with every gift certificate purchased through TeacheRewards, retailers will contribute five to 15 percent of the value to support TeachersCount, a non-profit organization established to recognize and reward America's teachers and to promote the teaching profession.

TeacheRewards retailer partners are listed on the www.TeachersCount.org website, along with gift certificate purchase information. Only one retailer is invited to participate in each product or service category, so teachers may well receive multiple certificates for a single retailer, providing them with purchasing power for higher-priced items.

TeacheRewards is just one of the many free programs offered by TeachersCount, a national, independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving the 3.4 million primary and secondary school teachers in the United States. According to Diana Burroughs, Ph.D., Executive Director and co-founder of the organization, "Our mission is to recognize and reward our nation's teachers for the great job they do in educating our children. We want to improve teachers' quality of life and repay them for their dedication."

The organization's website, www.TeachersCount.org, provides free services, resources and information aimed at teachers, future teachers, parents, students and the public at large.

In addition to TeacheRewards, features include the TeachersDisCount program, which provides hundreds of exclusive, year-round discounts for teachers from well-known retailers, a monthly topic discussion led by a prominent expert in the field of education, informative message boards, book reviews, education news, and a clearinghouse of teaching competitions and awards.

TeachersCount has also partnered with leading print and television media outlets to develop national and local marketing campaigns that will recognize outstanding teachers, promote the profession of teaching and build greater social support for teachers' contributions.

TeachersCount is a 501(c)(3) organization established in July 2002 by Dr. Burroughs, former Manhattan Borough Deputy to the New York City Schools Chancellor. For more information on TeacheRewards and TeachersCount, visit www.TeachersCount.org.

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