Prayers for Paris - Gift Ideas for French Teacher

Honestly, I would give them a card of support, and do a collection that puts money right into legitimate relief efforts in Paris. Here's a place to start:

http://mashable.com/2015/11/14/paris-attacks-how-to-help/...

You want to be sure you are dealing with legitimate charities though, so research! Charity Navigator is a good place as well. A lot of scams show up at times like this. We saw it in my area after the Boston Marathon bombing.

You could start with the class, but you could turn it into a community outreach project as well.

I'm not a big believer in flowers for something like this. I don't do them for funerals either. They die, they accomplish little. Wine and French gifts? Wine is transitory, gifts are short term comfort. If their hearts and heads are with family, friends, and Paris in general, then put your efforts to work there.

I wish the people in Beirut and Kenya and Iraq and Syria had people like you who want to do something for them. These bombings didn't even make half of the news broadcasts, and no one is putting "prayers for Beirut" on their Facebook pages. So if you do something community-wide, you might consider making it beyond just France, but for bombing/terror victims of all colors and religions. Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Fronteres) is one worthy organization.

I hope your teacher friend gets info on family and friends soon.

I really like the idea of giving them a card with "A donation was made in your name to ... "
You could organize a collection and make a donation to the International Red Cross or Catholic Relief Services.

As well meaning as it would be, I don't think a gift will be nearly as meaningful as relief efforts.

I'd suggest something more permanent than a basket of goodies. I like the idea of a charitable contribution to something like the International Red Cross in their honor. Or perhaps the class can get permission to plant a tree at the school (professionally planted by a nursery and garden center) with a small plaque. How about a framed vintage map of Paris (there are many on ebay) for the classroom?

The iris is the symbol of France, so perhaps you can find a florist either online or locally who can provide a lovely bouquet of irises. The iris is the inspiration for the fleur de lis, I believe.

Prepaid calling card so they can contact the people they are concerned about?