You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2581 Save Money By Hydrating Responsibly Survey Reveals The Positive Impact Teachers Have On Students’ Lives (NAPSA)—Next to immediate family, teachers have the most impact on people’s lives as they grow up. That’s just one of the key findings of a recent national survey of Americans’ attitudes toward teachers. The survey also found that: • 88 percent of Americans say they had a teacher who had a “significant, positive impact” on their life, and 98 percent of those surveyed believe that a good teacher can change the course of a student’s life. • 87 percent of respondents said they wish they had told their best teachers how much they appreciated their efforts. Teachers Can Change Lives The survey, conducted by the ING Foundation, found that people believe that teachers help in many ways. Among the vast majority of Americans who said they had a teacher or teachers who had a “significant, positive impact” on their life growing up, 83 percent said they had a teacher who helped build their confidence and self-esteem, 79 percent had a teacher who encouraged them to pursue their dreams, 75 percent said a teacher served as a mentor or role model, and 54 percent said that a teacher helped them through a tough time. “As our research shows, effective teachers can have a significant influence on their students’ lives, yet their efforts are generally underappreciated,” said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and senior vice president of ING’s Office of Corporate Responsibility and Multicultural Affairs. In a recent survey, 94 percent of Americans said that the public needs to do more to recognize good teachers. “It’s an unbelievable testament to the profession that Americans so resoundingly believe in a teacher ’s ability to transform lives,” said Mims. “Whether sending students down a path they hadn’t considered or simply ensuring them they are ready for the road ahead, a teacher’s impact can be profound and enduring.” An overwhelming 93 percent of those surveyed agree that teaching is a noble profession, and 89 percent believe teachers have a “really hard job.” Many Feel Teachers Deserve More Recognition At the same time, there is general acknowledgment that the public has not done enough to recognize good teachers. Overall, teachers are perceived as receiving less gratitude than other “helping professionals,” including doctors, nurses, social workers and clergy. The vast majority of Americans (94 percent) acknowledge that we need to do more to recognize our teachers. “While admiration for the teaching profession is widespread, expressions of gratitude are few and far between,” noted Catherine Smith, CEO, ING U.S. Retirement Services. Said Smith, “Most of us had a teacher growing up who cultivated a love of learning, helped us through a trying time or encouraged us to pursue our dreams. It’s never too late to say thanks for some lessons that lasted a lifetime.” National Teacher Of The Year The ING Foundation is also a presenting sponsor of the National Teacher of the Year. This year ’s recipient, Sarah Brown Wessling, is an English teacher and English Department Chair at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa, where she is in her 11th year as a teacher. She is the 60th recipient of this prestigious national award. Wessling holds a B.A. in English Education and a Master of Arts in English from Iowa State University. Wessling was recognized for her community involvement, interactive and innovative teaching style and her inclusiveness in the classroom. Wessling will be a full-time national and international spokesperson for education for one year. The ING Foundation is the charitable giving arm of ING. It awards grants to nonprofit organizations that address a variety of community needs. Visit www.ing.com/us to learn more. Note to Editors: The URL to CCSSO for information about all the national teachers of the year is http://www.ccsso.org/ projects/national_teacher_of_the_year/national_teachers or, for all of this year’s state teachers of the year, http://www.ccsso.org/projects/national_teacher_of_the_year/state_teachers/2010/13905.cfm. (NAPSA)—Whether you are planning a sunny seaside vacation or working to get back in shape for seasonal fashions, drinking water should be part of your daily regimen. However, before you reach for that bottled water, be sure to consider the benefits of fresh filtered water, which is a cost-effective and convenient alternative. A refrigerator system that uses two 200-gallon water filters per year can filter the equivalent of 3,000 bottles of water, saving more than $600 a year versus purchasing a leading brand of bottled water. In addition to cost savings, drinking filtered water is also environmentally responsible, as Back2Tap.com estimates that 38 billion water bottles are thrown in the trash each year. By opting for filtered water over bottled water, it’s easier to drink with confidence, knowing that the refrigerator water filter serves as a last line of defense against possible unseen contaminants in your water, such as lead and mercury. Properly maintaining your water filter is crucial, as tap water travels through miles and miles of infrastructure before making its way into your home, and may pick up contaminants along the way. To ensure proper contaminant reduction from the filtered tap water at home, many appliance manufacturers recommend changing the water filter every six During the warmer months, consider the benefits of fresh filtered water, which is a cost-effective and convenient alternative to bottled water. months (you may need to change your filter more often, depending on usage). To make changing the filter quick and easy, many refrigerators have an easy-access system, located conveniently at the bottom in the grill or just inside the refrigerator. Changing your refrigerator water filter every six months is the most cost-effective way to ensure clean and refreshing drinking water. Whirlpool Corporation provides an automatic water filter replacement program that sends filters right to consumers’ homes, with no cost for shipping. For more information, visit www. whirlpool.com/waterfilters.