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Reward Your Teachers and Professors for a Great Year!

by Presenta Plaque | on May 15, 2012 | No Comments

As the school year winds down and graduation ceremonies wrap up, there is consistent recognition for the students and graduates. However, it’s also crucial to recognize those individuals who challenged these students to be the best they could be and truly devoted their time and energy to making students successful persons in society.

Our teachers and professors are some of the amazing heroes in our community and are rightly deserving of true acknowledgment. Consider recognizing them with a letter thanking them for their devotion to your school and its students or even present them with a certificate for a job well done or specific accomplishment. Of course, why not present this in a beautiful plaque that will allow them to proudly display their award or acknowledgement in their office, home or even by their desk.

Allow Presenta Plaque to assist you in creating a constant reminder to your school staff and educators that they are never forgotten and are deserving of your recognition! By spending almost no time assembling our affordable plaques, you will ensure they can be presented to your teachers by the end of the school year. Stock up today!

Congratulations Valley Leadership!

by Presenta Plaque | on May 09, 2012 | No Comments

Our May winner for “Presenta Plaque to Your Hero” is Valley Leadership!  This development organization in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area has been dedicated for the last three decades to engaging, educating and challenging current and emerging leaders to take an active role in strengthening and transforming communities.

We came across a news article in May about their most recent community service project, holding a book drive around the valley and collecting new and gently used books for children five years and younger from public donations. “Valley Leadership is providing funds for four reading areas in pediatric waiting rooms…” in both Flagstaff and Navajo Reservation clinics.

There are multiple locations around Arizona designated as drop-off areas, including The Arizona and Scottsdale Republic. It’s also important to note they are looking especially for any books in Spanish and Navajo, as these books are presented by the doctors during well-child visits to promote literacy and early reading. For more information, visit here!

Congratulations and thank-you to Valley Leadership, who continues to provide individuals with diverse perspectives and backgrounds opportunities to connect, learn and lead!

Did you catch our previous of Presenta Plaque to Your Hero winners? You can read about Family Promise or the City of Gilbert on our blog! If you know of an organization, an individual or anyone who you feel should be recognized, make sure you nominate them today for month of June! Include their name, address, and story in our nomination form at:

Present Your Graduates’ Diplomas in a Beautiful Plaque!

by Presenta Plaque | on May 08, 2012 | No Comments

With the school year nearing an end, your educational district may be preparing for a graduation ceremony. Whether it’s for junior high, high school or college, graduation is an incredibly important time in everyone’s lives. As you may know, education is greatly valued by owner Maurice Fitzgerald, and he finds it crucial to not only support children, but challenge them in their education and schooling. With all the hard work your students go through, it’s a fantastic reward to receive a diploma.

As we highlighted in a blog post, “Recognition Basics,”, by simply placing the diploma you hand out to your students in one of our inexpensive and easy to use plaque kits, it provides instant value and an overall professional look. Not only does the plaque give the diplomas an instant wow-factor, they also make it super simple for the students and their families to proudly display their accomplishment for everyone to see, even after their graduation day is over.

All of our plaques are easy to assemble and are affordable. Stock up today so you have them ready to hand out to your deserving graduates!

The Importance of Education to Owner Maurice Fitzgerald

by Presenta Plaque | on Apr 30, 2012 | 1 Comments

Presenta Plaque takes education very seriously, as the owner, Maurice Fitzgerald, is currently a proud father to three very talented and smart kids. When asked if he sees his children planning for a successful future, he responds, “Yes I do. They have great education, a strong appreciation of music, lots of community involvement and amazing work ethic (lots of homework)!” Maurice and his wife show their children support by participating in school functions, attending conferences and concerts, and providing them overall dedication and loyalty.

However, finding a school that your children will do well at isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s important to think about your child’s and family’s needs. A few things to consider would be your child’s personality and the needs and desires of both you and your child. For example, a quiet child might advance better in a smaller school or a school with small class sizes. If you have a budding musician or scientist, you’ll want to look for a school that offers programs in these areas. Maurice and his wife found a charter school that was the perfect match for their high school-aged kids (12th and 9th) and during this time, they have become very knowledgeable and skilled musicians!

Maurice Fitzgerald also shared that he and his wife are incredibly proud of the journey they’ve taken with their kids. “Our son will be attending Princeton University in the fall. Need I say more?” Although his wife secretly wishes New Jersey was closer to Arizona, they couldn’t be more thrilled for the future of their oldest son. Education is very much a huge part of the Fitzgeralds’ lives, not only so their kids can earn a living after graduation but as Maurice jokingly says, “to take care of us when we get old!”

School is nearing the end and graduation is just around the corner for many of you; in what ways do you feel you have been a role model to your kids and/or students? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page, we love hearing from all of you!

Congratulations Family Promise of Greater Phoenix!

by Presenta Plaque | on Apr 20, 2012 | 1 Comments

We were very excited to honor Family Promise of Greater Phoenix in April for “Presenta Plaque to your Hero”!  The mission of Family Promise is to reduce family homelessness by providing shelter, case management, assistance and life-skills training so families can gain self-sufficiency. They have helped an estimated 346 families with their programs in the past 11 years!

We came across a news article in March about a homeless family in Scottsdale sharing the struggles of living in their car. The young family of four drove from Missouri to Arizona hoping to fill a space at a shelter, but when they arrived the shelters were full.  “Being homeless was new for the Grieves family. Bethany had been a nurse, Phillip was a teacher, but they both ended up unemployed.” (Source: AZFamily.com)

Family Promise teamed up with The Company Store for a buy one, get one event. For every comforter purchased, one is donated. This small, but incredible act of kindness gave the family the hope and motivation they needed to get back on their feet. Phillip and Bethany will never forget how Family Promise changed their lives. You can read the full story here!

Congratulations and thank-you to Family Promise, who continues to provide motivation and hope to families in need!

Did you catch our other winners of Presenta Plaque to your Hero? You can read about The City of Gilbert and American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter on our blog! If you know of an organization, an individual or anyone who you feel should be recognized, make sure you nominate them today for month of May! Send us their name, address, and story to presentaplaque@gmail.com.

Keep Your Kids Motivated!

by Presenta Plaque | on Apr 12, 2012 | No Comments

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney

For those of us with children, bedtime stories were most likely a ritual. In fact, “Goodnight Moon” and “I Love you Forever” were a few of the popular books in our library. Early reading experiences can influence learning, so how do you keep young children interested and motivated?

An effective way to encourage children to love books and reading is to read aloud to them; the earlier you start, the better. Even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice, and turn pages!  Child development expert Marilyn Jager Adams said, “reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.” Here is a list of a few great ways to motivate your children to read:

  1. Let your child pick the book when it’s story time.
  2. When he or she gets tired of the book, let them pick another story.
  3. Integrate your child’s name into the book; make them feel “involved” with the story.
  4. Visit the library and let them check out new books.
  5. Create a fun and comfortable reading space for them.

Here is a bonus tip for teachers in early education – give your kids reading certificates! If your students reach a goal, why not reward them? Make the certificates that much more special by putting them into a plaque! Our plaque kits are easy to assemble and affordable! Stock up on plaques today!

Do you have any other tips for keeping young children motivated about books? What are your kids’ favorite books? We’d love to hear them, so find us on Facebook and share them on our wall!

Recognize the Benefits of Early Reading

by Presenta Plaque | on Apr 10, 2012 | No Comments

Story time was a popular time when we were all younger, and it still is with young children today. Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Stan and Jan Berenstein, and Robert Munsch are just a few great children’s book authors. “And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! 98 and ¾ percent guaranteed!” –Dr. Seuss. April 2nd was “National Children’s Book Day”, so we wanted to observe the holiday with a list of the best-selling children’s books. According to multiple sources, here are the top five best-selling children’s books of all time -

  1. The Poky Little Puppy (Golden, 1942) 14,898,341
  2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) 9,380,274
  3. Tootle (Golden, 1945) 8,560,277
  4. Green Eggs and ham (Random House, 1960) 8,143,088B
  5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Scholastic/Levine, 2000) 7,913.765

Do you have any of these in your library? Books can be a powerful tool to benefit toddlers and preschoolers in many ways. As a parent, reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to provide them with a foundation for academic excellence.

Another perk about children’s books is the lesson they teach! Did you know most of what we needed to know to succeed in business and/or life we learned as young children? There are a ton of children’s books that have taught you about what it takes to succeed in life. They are short and sweet,  and easy and enjoyable to read! For example, “Oh the Places You Will Go” by Dr. Seuss teaches us about self-determination and leadership. What other life lessons have you learned from a children’s book?

Do you have a favorite book from your childhood or is there a book you read and learned a lesson from? Share with us on Facebook!

Education Importance

by Presenta Plaque | on Apr 08, 2012 | No Comments

Education is very important to Presenta Plaque, and we support our children every step of the way on their journey to success. Our oldest is currently looking into colleges, and we are more than thrilled to be a part of this exhilarating process! Education is all about learning, preparing for leadership and personal achievement and opening your mind to new ideas. It’s important, as parents, to be your child’s advocate during this time, so let them know they have the potential to be amazing students!

Did you know the National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) are the nation’s premier organizations established to recognizing outstanding high school and mid-level students? Today, it is estimated that more than one million students participate in activities of NHS and NJHS. Are your kids a part of that “one million students” participating in NHS and NJHS activities? They can be with a little help from their teachers and parents!

In what ways can you motivate your students and/or children to become part of this outstanding organization? Here are a few tips from Presenta Plaque to get your students and children more involved in education –

  1. Participate – get students up and involved in lessons and activities!
  2. Reward – when a student does well, reward them! These rewards can range from stickers to high fives.
  3. Care – keep your students interested and motivated by showing you care about them. Share little stories about mistakes you’ve made and how you have survived them.

There are a lot of great ways to keep students motivated and you can read them on this website. In the meantime, how are you keeping your students interested? Share your ideas on our Facebook Page!

Presenta Plaque Recognizes Clara Barton

by Presenta Plaque | on Mar 23, 2012 | No Comments

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the first Red Cross Month in support of Red Cross fundraising efforts, and since that time, every president has designated March as Red Cross Month. The American Red Cross is full of support from volunteers who are committed to their communities by responding to emergencies. They provide relief to victims of natural or man-made disasters.

In honor of Red Cross Month, Presenta Plaque would like to recognize Clara Barton. She is one of the most honored women in American history for being a true pioneer as well as an outstanding humanitarian. Barton had a deep understanding of the needs of individuals in distress and knew how to provide help to them. She had very intense devotion in serving others. It was in 1881 that Clara founded the American Red Cross and led it for the next 23 years. Thank you Clara for everything you have done and for starting the Red Cross!

To read more about Clara Barton and the history of The American Red Cross, visit their website.

Do you have someone you’d like to recognize? Read about “Presenta Plaque to your Hero” and nominate someone today! We’d love to hear their story and share it with others.

Congratulations to American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter

by Presenta Plaque | on Mar 20, 2012 | 1 Comments

Our March winner for “Presenta Plaque to your Hero” is The American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter! Their volunteers are committed individuals who are dedicated to and serve their community by responding to emergency calls, as well as ensuring their neighbors have a safe place to sleep, as well as food, clothing, and all around comfort following a disaster. Read more on their website.

In February 2012, The Grand Canyon Chapter assisted families missing loved ones after the Philippine earthquake by accepting family linking inquiries including the full name, date of birth, address or location, home and cell numbers of the sought person . The Grand Canyon Chapter is very involved with Arizona and local communities, and they are hosting “Save a Life” Saturday to honor Rep. Gabrielle Giffords by offering free lifesaving training across Arizona on March 19th. They also are dedicated to providing young individuals with leadership development through service opportunities in local, national and international programs.

Congratulations and thanks again to the Grand Canyon Chapter; all of your hard work did not go unnoticed!

In case you missed last month’s winner, click here to read about them! Do you have a business or community who has gone above and beyond for people that you would like to nominate for April? We want to hear about them!