Non-Profit Organization Offers Creative Holiday Gift for Teachers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, October 28, 2004—Are you searching for a great gift for your child's teacher for the upcoming holiday season? Do you want to show your appreciation with something other than an ordinary coffee mug, stationery or box of cookies?

The 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. Only one retailer is invited to participate in each product or service category, allowing teachers to consolidate their purchasing power. 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 Web site, along with gift certificate purchase information. It's the perfect gift not only for the holidays, but also for other occasions throughout the year.

TeachersCount is a national, independent, 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 improve the quality of life of our nation's teachers by providing them valuable information, services and resources—all at no cost to them—and by raising the status of the teaching profession in America."

In addition to TeacheRewards, the organization provides a variety of other free services and resources on its Web site, aimed at teachers, future teachers, parents, students and the public at large. The "TeachersDisCount" program, for example, provides discounts of 10 to 20 percent exclusively to teachers for a variety of top-name products and services. The "Honoring Teachers" program allows people of all backgrounds to contribute to a growing collection of inspirational stories about teachers. TeachersCount has also partnered with Time Inc. to develop a national social marketing campaign to raise the status of the teaching profession in America.

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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