Teachers can receive gifts of $25 or less

That's according to an amendment that the Alabama Legislature passed early this month to a new statewide ethics law that had caused some confusion over gift-giving for the Christmas holidays. The law had stated that any gift to a public employee or official -- not just a teacher -- had to be of "de minimis," or little, value. But the law did not give a specific dollar amount.

The Alabama Ethics Commission was asked last fall to set a dollar figure, but said that wasn’t its role to do so. Instead, the commission issued a 26-page opinion detailing the types of gifts that could be given, such homemade cookies, school supplies, a CD or a scarf. Gift cards could only be given by individual students if the funds were to benefit the classroom. And if the local school board allowed, classes of students could pool together to give a teacher cash or a gift card.

The new amendment -- established with a 91-0 vote in the House of Representatives and a 21-4 vote in the Senate -- now defines "de minimis" as a gift from an individual costing less than $25, and gifts not to exceed a total of $50 for a full calendar year. It states that the amount will be increased every four years based on cost of living."There were a lot of questions last year," said Rep. Jay Love, R-Montgomery, who sponsored the amendment. "So we wanted to go in and put a reasonable limit on it." 

School Policy Leans Toward Group Gifts

School ends in less than a month for students in Hopkinton, and that means it's time to reach out to the teachers that helped guide your children on their journey to knowledge.The schools follow very specific gift giving guidelines outlined by the state so as to prevent any form of favoritism from teachers.The guidelines "Prohibit the acceptance of gifts with an aggregate value of $50 or more from any individual within any 365-day period. All employees who receive gifts must disclose this information to their supervisor."

Gifts given by the class as a collective to the teacher fall under less strict guidelines. "Groups of parents/guardians may contribute to a gift with an aggregate value of up to $150 provided that the gift is identified as being from the class. Additionally, the individual identity of each gift giver and/or individual amounts contributed may not be identified. Employees are not required to disclose such gifts."The full guidelines for the district can be found on? the school district's website or The Business Gifts as a Thank You Gift .

In an email Assistant Superintendent Mary Ann DeMello, a card can have just as much of an impact as a monetary gift."If you are considering a gift for a member of our school district, we would like to thank you in advance for adhering to these regulations. Please know, however, that simple expressions of appreciation, such as a thank you letter, are always treasured and often saved for years."

The Business Gifts as a Thank You Gift

Why business gifts as a Thank you gift? Well experts, at Ideasbynet, are of the view that business organisations should always use promotional products which are of practical use for the consumers. This is because handy items like business gifts can be helpful to clients and therefore are a good way to show gratitude. Corporate gifts such as mugs, umbrellas, pens or mobile holders  are highly useful items. In addition to that, business gifts offer good opportunity to companies to promote its brands in the market. Corporate organisations can easily communicate with the customers using these business gifts and convince them to buy its products.

Printed business gifts with the name of the company and its logo have been found to be more effective for marketing. This is because printed promotional gifts keep the name of organisation alive in the client's mind which influences his shopping decision. Secondly, printed gifts also offer an opportunity to communicate with the clients. Business organisations can easily imprint any information which it would like to share with its clients in an attractive style. But, business organisations should also keep in mind that these business gifts speak for the company and therefore, should be appropriately used.

That's the reason why business organisations spend so much time and efforts to strike a chord with its clients. It is the interest and involvement with the brands which influences the future buying decisions of the clients. Companies also need to build relationships with the clients and business gifts are great way to show gratitude and say 'Thank You' to the clients for their support. If you too are a marketing head and are in search of new gifts for acknowledging the patronage of your clients then in that case you must try out business gifts.

Teens trade gifts for garden donations

Three teens traded in birthday presents for a gift that will keep giving to the community for years to come.Thirteen-year-olds Anna Katherine Tankersley, Tommy Marlowe and Jack Wilbanks each received a plum tree in their name at the Sylacauga Grows community garden on Monday. The trees are a special "thank you" to the group for their donation of $728.The teens, all with March birthdays, raised the funds through a joint birthday party where they asked for donations to Sylacauga Grows in lieu of birthday gifts.Margaret Morton, Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement director, said their donation proves they are "exceptional young people."

"Rather than receive gifts, they gifted us, and they gifted the environment and the future," Morton said. "With their generosity, not only these trees, but this garden hopefully has the capacity to sustain itself. Delivers Inspiring Graduation Speech To Students At The University Of Pennsylvania.Many people will benefit from their generosity because these are sustainable and renewable resources. These young people are serving as role models for others to give back in the same way."Anna Katherine, daughter of Sid and Angie Tankersley, said she and her friends looked for a way to benefit others through their birthdays.

"We thought donating to the garden was a good cause because it would give back to the community now and in the future," she said.Jack, son of David and Laurie Wilbanks, and Tommy, son of Steve and Amy Marlowe, said it felt good to donate rather than receive gifts."Everybody on this earth has a gift and an opportunity to help other people, and it's up to us to find and nurture that gift," Roberts said. "You have done that with just one of the gifts that you have by participating and helping us add to our orchard. We look forward to every fruit that comes off these trees having your name on it."

Delivers Inspiring Graduation Speech To Students At The University Of Pennsylvania

Right now each one of you is sitting on the runway of life primed for takeoff. You are some of the world's most gifted, elite, and driven college graduates – and you are undeniably ready to fly. So what I’m about to say next may sound a bit crazy. I want to urge you, not to fly, but to – walk. Four years ago, you walked into this marvelous laboratory of higher learning. Today, heads held high, you walk to receive your diplomas. Tomorrow, you will walk into a world of infinite possibilities.

But walking, in our high-speed world, has unfortunately fallen out of favor. The word "pedestrian" itself is used to describe something ordinary and commonplace. Yet, walking with intention has deep roots. Australia's aboriginal youth go on walkabouts as a rite of passage; Native American tribes conduct vision quests in the wilderness; in Europe, for centuries, people have walked the Camino de Santiago, which spans the breadth of Spain. Such pilgrims place one foot firmly in front of the other, to fall in step with the rhythms of the universe and the cadence of their own hearts.Back in 2005, six months into our marriage, my wife and I decided to "step it up" ourselves and go on a walking pilgrimage.

At the peak of our efforts with ServiceSpace, we wondered if we had the capacity to put aside our worldly success and seek higher truths. Have you ever thought of something and then just known that it had to happen? It was one of those things. So we sold all our major belongings, and bought a one-way ticket to India. Our plan was to head to Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram, since he had always been an inspiration to us, and then walk South. Between the two of us, we budgeted a dollar a day, mostly for incidentals -- which meant that for our survival we had to depend utterly on the kindness of strangers. We ate whatever food was offered and slept wherever place was offered.

What Gifts Do They Appreciate the Most ?

The end of the school year is fast approaching and it'll be time for many to bid farewell to their teachers. Here are some ideas for showing your or your child's gratitude — straight from the educators themselves!We asked teachers about meaningful ways students have expressed gratitude to them, and put out a call on PARADE's Facebook page for the most thoughtful gifts they've received. I also emailed my mom, an elementary school teacher for more than 30 years, who emailed a few of her colleagues.

Parents have made me long, kid-friendly aprons with lots of pockets to hold goodies.Gift certificates for massages, pedicures, manicures, and restaurants are all great.Every Christmas, I pull out ornaments that have been given to me by students over the past 28 years.Unique Thank You Gifts and Ideas. I have each one boxed and labeled with the student's name, year, and homeroom teacher's name.I can also say anything homemade is the best. I love the jams, cookies, cakes, breads, scarves, and cross-stitch that have been done just for me.

I received a keepsake book. It was a picture of each of my students and a heartfelt letter from each parent. It really was a special keepsake. It made me feel valued!I know it sounds silly, but my favorite gifts have been super useful ones. Cool sticky notes, pens, markers, etc., for my classroom that I don't normally buy for myself. A cool stamp, neat paper clips — that kind of stuff.Many years ago, my high school students had an English writing project. They were to write a thank-you note to someone special. In addition to their assignment, these students each wrote a thank-you note to me and made them into a book. I still have it, and read it.

Unique Thank You Gifts and Ideas

It is not always necessary to choose very expensive thank you gifts. As a matter of fact, incorporating interesting ideas to weave gift baskets could be the best way. Gift baskets are, in fact, the most loved thank you gifts in the world, as it can be tailored according to the preference of the person to be gifted. Regardless of gender or age, the personality and liking of a person will determine the components of a gift basket.

There are some premade baskets available as well, that goes with the details of demography or religion. There could be many more themes for gift baskets to be chosen. However, people have an inclination for creating some of the finest gift baskets out of the box - utilizing their creativity and skills, effective thank you gifts can be prepared. It may take some time for a novice to come up with a brilliant design, but the effort is certainly worth it.Themes can be chosen for thank you gifts. There are different themes available for choosing gift baskets, such as gourmet theme, spa theme, gardening theme, sports theme, wine theme etc.

Gourmet theme, as known to all, is one of the most preferred themes for baskets of all times. It is the standard gift idea that could comprise of an array of delicacies and ingredients, cakes, goodies, cookies etc.Spa theme can include some of the best range of aromatherapy products, shampoos, soaps, body scrubs, body oils, exfoliate and personal grooming ingredients. Aroma candles can be a icing on the cake.When the gardening theme is concerned, the gardening gift baskets can include a wide range of stuffs, such as trowels, pruning shears, gardening gloves, watering cans, gardening guides and seed packs.

Sending virtual gifts, creating unity

The DePauw community now has a new way to interact online and promote school pride thanks to the Facebook application Trinkon.Trinkon, an application designed to help organizations engage their members or followers, is an organization that sets up a shop containing information about the organization and links to organizational web pages. It contains branded Trinkons, which are virtual gifts, for people to send to each other via Facebook.Through this new social media outlet, people can exchange branded DePauw Trinkons and interact with friends while promoting DePauw.

The project is led by computer science professor Dave Berque and includes a team of DePauw students and alumni, including juniors Jimmy Burgess and Vedant Singhania of the Information Technology Associates Program (ITAP).Federal Officials Announce $16 million in Grants to Bolster Community Health Clinics in Wisconsin.Burgess and Singhania began working on the web application last fall, and have been focusing on creating an Anroid application this semester. They will continue working on the project next semester.Freshman Troy Holleman has created some of the Trinkons that people are able to send. He said he enjoyed getting the opportunity to create something that will be utilized.

"I had a lot of fun designing Trinkons for Dave's app," Holleman said. "I tried to think of what I would like to give or get as an online gift on Facebook, and then create the Trinkon based on that. Working on the app has been a great experience, and I'm excited to see my design online soon."Berque created the idea and initial discussions with the university for the Facebook application began in April 2011. In February, a beta version was released on Facebook to invited members only. The program was opened to the public about two weeks ago.

Federal Officials Announce $16 million in Grants to Bolster Community Health Clinics in Wisconsin

A Milwaukee health clinic for the uninsured and underinsured received welcome news Thursday. Federal officials traveled to town to award the clinic $5 million.As WUWM's Ann-Elise Henzl reports, the money comes from a fund President Obama's health care reform law created.The announcement took place at the Lisbon Avenue Health Center near 35th and North."This is one of five grants that are being awarded to community health centers across Wisconsin this week, totaling some $16 million,"says Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary of Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Salvation Army will give area residents a musical 'thanks!'

Koh says the funding is part of a bigger package – some $730 million – the Affordable Care Act earmarks for community health centers."We know as a nation, we know we can expand facilities, hire more employees, serve more patients and create jobs,"Koh says.On hand to celebrate the federal dollars was Milwaukee Congresswoman Gwen Moore."I just want to say that as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C., that this was one of our bottom lines, in terms of putting together the Affordable Care Act,"Moore says.The Lisbon Avenue clinic plans to use the dollars to double its size. Jenni Sevenich is CEO of Progressive Community Health Centers, the group that runs the facility.

"We will be building a 42,000 square foot clinic to replace this clinic, on the same grounds, and the $5 million is about – a little less than -- half of what we need,"Sevenich says.Right now, the clinic serves 8,500 patients a year, but Sevenich envisions the number more than doubling once the center expands. She says it will also provide additional services. Currently, they're limited to primary, OB/GYN and dental care."We also will have radiology in that building so people can get their X-rays on site, and mammograms on site as well, and we'll also have a space for specialists to come in and rotate so that people can get their specialty care services here at the clinic,"Sevenich says.