Look at the smile on that face. This is the image I’ll be keeping in mind as I process the fact that Passports with Purpose 2009 has been a tremendous success and that because of this effort, some child may one day smile just like this. At a desk, in a school, learning to read and write.
Category Archives: Passports with Purpose
Final Push For Passports With Purpose
Photo Friday is usually a fun, easy blog post for me. Sometimes I write about the photos I post, sometimes I just indulgently post cute photos of my boys when they were younger.
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Win a Night at the Fairmont Olympic and Support Passports With Purpose Reach Our Revised Fundraising Goal
Today was an exciting day. The first email I read this morning was from my friend Debbie telling me that we’d exceeded the Passports with Purpose fundraising goal. We had raised enough money to actually build a school in rural Cambodia.
I remember when Debbie, Pam, Beth and I got together in early November last year to kick-start the original Passports with Purpose effort. At that point, I think we were all cautiously optimistic that we could raise $5,000 for Heifer International. I know we were all thrilled when we passed our modest goal – the actual amount raised in 2008 was $7,400.
I first heard about American Assistance for Cambodia earlier this year, after we’d all commited to Passports with Purpose 2009, and were coming up with suggestions for which charity we should support this year. By raising $13,000 for AAfC we could build a much-needed school in Cambodia. It seemed like a perfect charity for a bunch of travel-bloggers to support. However, given the current economic woes I was a little leery of setting a fund-raising goal of twice what we had raised last year but willing to give it a try.
My reservations were obviously misplaced. With fantastic sponsors, great support from a long list of participating bloggers and great prizes to offer donors, we’ve already raised $13,000 in just under a week. So, we’ve doubled our fundraising goal to $26,000. The additional funds will allow us to support the health and safety of the children who attend this new school by providing clean water, healthy nutrition and on-site medical care.
I’m excited to announce yet another great prize to entice you to support this effort: The Fairmont Olympic Hotel has donated a one night Bed and Breakfast package in Executive Accommodations with valet parking included.
Originally opened in 1924 as The Olympic, this hotel easily evokes a sense of escaping to another time and place. Even as you drive (or walk) into the sweeping forecourt you can’t help but imagine those heady days of Flappers and Charlestons. The interior of the Fairmont Olympic is sumptuous but also warm and welcoming.
This hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as the Pacific Northwest’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel, a designation it has held since 1984, this is a luxury hotel with a history and a story. There are two award-winning restaurants on site. The Georgian offers elegance and grandeur or you can choose to relax in the pub-style environment of Shuckers, the oldest oyster bar in Seattle. Families are very welcome and the children’s menu, on which each menu item has a whimsical fish-themed name, is sure to please even the fussiest child.
Looks good, eh? Each $10 donation you make on the Passports with Purpose website goes directly to support AAfC and gives you a chance to enter a free prize drawing for this and a long list of other great prizes. So do yourself a favor, go check out the full list of prizes and make your $10 or more donation.
I’m also happy to thank our 2009 Sponsors
Got Passport: Will Travel, We’ll Serve
Related Links:
Passports With Purpose Travel Blogger’s Fundraiser
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thanks for supporting Passport With Purpose
Thank you, thank you, thank you! To all the people who supported this first annual Passports With Purpose. From the people who donated the prizes to the people who wrote about PwP on their blogs to the people who bought the tickets, please accept our sincere thanks. We raised $7,420, far and away exceeding the goal of $5,000 we had set ourselves.
And yes, I did say first annual. Beth, Pam, Debbie and I met last week and we’re committed to running this event in December 2009. We’re setting ourselves a larger fund-raising goal and plan to work through this year to improve our process and the methods we use to communicate with donors, bloggers and supporters. We look forward to your participation later this year!
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Support Passports With Purpose
Yes, today is Photo Friday. And yes, I should have a travel-related photo to share. But I can’t. I don’t know about you, but my to-do list gets longer every day. I’m not complaining, indeed the opposite is true, I am a sucker for Christmas. I love the lights, the presents, the trees and the celebration in general. But, as I shop for gifts for my friends and family, I can’t help thinking of the deeper meaning of this season of goodwill: of this urge to reach out and help others. So, in lieu of a photo today, I’m going to list all the prizes which are on offer as part of the Passports With Purpose raffle. People, the raffle tickets are a measly $10! Check out this list (click on any item on the list to read the donor’s description of the prize):
Waikiki – 3 Nights Wyland Waikiki Hotel
Harlem Food Tour
Alaska Tour Savor
Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Gift Certificate
Vermont – 2 Nights Wildflower Inn
Ciao Bambino Hotel Gift Certificate
San Diego B+B – Blue Heron Farm
NYC Cooking Class + Dinner
NYC Food Tour – Greenwich Village Savory Sojourns
Boston Walking Photography Tour – PhotoWalks
Florida – Horseback Riding on the Beach
Seattle – Fairmont Hotel Luxury Package
Flip Video Camera
NYC B&H Camera Store Gift Certificate
Eye Fi Wireless Memory Card
Seattle ExOfficio Shopping Spree
ExOfficio Shirts
Jones Wear Long Underwear
Travel Jacket & Luggage
Ibex Long Underwear
Earth Creations Clothing
Ex Officio Shirts
Casio Travel Watch
Portable Solar Charger
Electric Breastpump
McLaren XLR Techno Stroller
Boulevard Car Seat
CARES Flight Safety Harness
Babies Travel Lite Gift Certificate
Sit ‘n Stroll Combo Car Seat/Stroller
Ergo Hands Free Baby Carrier & iPod Shuffle
Peg Perago Infant Car Seat
Travel Accessories Gift Basket
Bali Sarongs & Accessories
Travel Books, CDs, DVDs & Accessories
Skin Store Gift Basket
Washington DC – Facial, Mani, Pedi & Makeup At Erwin Gomez Salon
Original Oil Pastel Painting by Lola Akinmade
Travel Muse Gift Certificate
Eagle Creek Luggage
REI Backpack & Travel Towel
Carry-On Luggage
MountainSmith Tour Pack
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tickets
Travel Books
Barefoot Books – Travel Books for Children
Lonely Planet Books
Travel Inspiration Books
Moo Art Postcards
Amazon Gift Certificate
Travel With Kids Books
South America Travel Books
The Travel Book
Ireland & New England Travel Books
Travel Books
Scrapbooking Supplies Travel Theme
Americana Music CDs
World Music CDs
Books & Writing Consultation with Dave Fox
Want to buy a ticket? Here’s what you need to do:
- Browse through the list of prizes
- Choose which ones you’d like to win for you or someone else
- Click on the FirstGiving link
- Buy one or more $10 raffle tickets for each prize you want by December 29th (11:59 pm PST)
For your weekly travel-photo fix, check out DeliciousBaby.
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Tags:charitable giving, travel, fundraising, passports with purpose
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Passports With Purpose raffle prize: a bundle of Eyewitness Travel Guides
The Holidays are here and we have gifts to share! Check out the Passports With Purpose prizes page for awesome raffle prizes – everything from a 3-night stay at the Wyland Waikiki (yes, seriously!) to a Flip Video Camera to top-notch travel gear for children and lots of travel books.
It’s been a busy few weeks, working with Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow, and Pam Mandel pulling together sponsors, donors and general technical infrastructure to launch what we hope will be a first annual Passports With Purpose holiday event. This travel-blogger driven fundraiser is in support of Heifer International.
It did take us a while to decide on a charity to support, not least because there are so many, many needy causes. Heifer came up as a candidate because of the work they do around the world and their simple, direct message of attacking poverty worldwide by funding sustainable development and self-reliance within communities. Heifer seeks to go further than addressing immediate needs for food. Their living loans of animals come with education in animal husbandry and a commitment from the recipient to share the offspring of gift animals with others in need, making the recipient equal partners with Heifer in the fight to end world hunger.
My Raffle Prize: A selection of books from the DK Publishing’s Eyewitness Guides ($120 value)
I’m a huge fan of DK Publishing. Their children’s books have been favorites for both my children starting with board books on everything from using the potty to learning about letters, numbers and even other languages. The DK Readers series helped them get started on the road to independent reading in a fun and engaging way. Recently, we’ve discovered that the format of the Eyewitness Travel Guides are so familiar to children who’ve grown up reading these other DK Publishing books, that they’re excellent guidebooks for elementary and middle school-ers – to learn about people and places regardless of whether you’re planning a trip or not.
Check out the full list of incredible prizes on the Passports With Purpose prizes page. Once you’ve selected your prize – or prizes – go to First Giving and buy a raffle ticket. Remember to enter your email address and the prize you want to win in the comments field, or we can’t notify you if you win!
Share this fundraiser with friends and family. You can even become a fan on Facebook!
The deadline to purchase raffle tickets is 11:59pm PST on Dec 29. The founders will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30th.
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Tags:charitable giving, travel, fundraising, passports with purpose
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Passports With A Purpose – Update
Support Passports with Purpose: A Fundraiser for Heifer International
Yipee! We have a Passports With a Purpose badge, designed by the kind folks at Intergalactic Design Studio as a favor to Pam from Nerd’s Eye View. If you’ve read my previous post on Passports With A Purpose, you’ll know that it’s a fundraiser for travel bloggers and blog-readers alike to make a difference this holiday season by supporting Heifer International.
The Passports With a Purpose organizing committee (Beth, Pam, Debbie and me) met earlier this week to review our to-do list and make sure we’ve got this thing rocking when we open for ticket sales on December 1st. We were all genuinely humbled and excited (if it’s possible to be both together) at the outpouring of support from other travel bloggers. We’ve got a super array of prizes to share with you – trust me, some of these donations will knock your socks off!
So, get your blog-pens at the ready. Even if you’re not a donor, help us by blogging about Passports With a Purpose on your blog and encouraging your readers to buy a raffle ticket. Park our badge prominently on your website to spread the word. (Email me at mduffy2006 at gmail dot com if you’d like some help in figuring out how to place the badge and link back to the main Passports With a Purpose page).
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Tags:charitable giving, travel, fundraising
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support passports with a purpose
I grew up in Ireland in the 70s and 80s at a time when poverty was rampant and unemployment endemic. And yet, even in this environment, we were taught by parents and teachers that we had a responsibility to help others even less fortunate than ourselves. We held fundraisers for domestic and international causes. We stood in the rain and wind and collected spare change and thought we were fabulous.
I believe in reaching out and trying to make a difference however I can. In the recent past, that has meant cajoling my workmates to buy magazines they probably didn’t want to support my son’s elementary school. It has mean participating in United Way and diligently sending in monthly checks to support my sponsored child through Save the Children.
Now, I have an opportunity to use my blog to reach out further and possibly make a bigger contribution than ever before. Passports With Purpose is an idea which came together over coffee with my travel-blogging friends: Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow and Pam Mandel. It is a fundraiser for travel bloggers and blog-readers alike to make a difference this holiday season.
The money we raise will go to support Heifer International and enable them to buy chickens, cows and other farm animals to help developing communities around the world.
So, how can you help?
If you’re a travel blogger:
Participate by procuring a raffle prize. Ideal value is $100 but we’re OK with less, as long as it’s relevant to your readers. Help us promote the fundraiser throughout the month of December and we’ll help promote YOU through our participating bloggers page. Or, promote our endeavor on your blog through December. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about this effort.
If you’re a publisher, manufacturer or service provider:
Donate your product or service as a raffle prize. We already have some amazing prizes that we’re keeping under wraps until the fundraiser launches on December 1. Be an integral part of this effort and get listed on the raffle prize.
If you have a good heart:
Buy one or more raffle tickets – they’re only $10 and you’ll have the chance to win a really cool raffle prize! Tickets will be sold through FirstGiving beginning on December 1st with the prize drawing to be held on December 30th.
If you’d love to participate, leave a comment or send me an email: mduffy2006 at gmail dot com.
Related Links:
Passports With Purpose Main Page
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Tags:charitable giving, travel, fundraising
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an un-gift holiday gift recommendation for kids
Some of you who read this may think I am the meanest mom in the world. That’s OK. My kids have already accused me of the same. Those same kids who have 12 aunts and uncles and two sets of grandparents who shower them with gifts each Christmas and on birthdays and at various times in between.
Thankfully, both families now use Kris Kringle/Secret Santa which helps a little, but the pile of Amazon boxes under our Christmas tree is still positively decadent. So this year, the WanderDad and I decided to take the opportunity presented by holiday gift-giving to help our boys to develop a social conscience.
The Seattle Times recently reported startling increases in the number of people using local food banks. The line outside the food bank near my house has grown significantly over the past few months. With this in mind, I researched charities which focus on helping children and families such as Save the Children and UNICEF.
Unfortunately, although donating to these charities is pretty easy, it’s not very child-friendly. BigB is eight, he still needs a present under the Christmas tree and the excitement of opening it on Christmas morning. A little discouraged, but intent on my mission, I kept searching and I found the WWF Adopt-An-Animal program where gift donations come with 12″ soft toys. Perfect.
CAM has chosen to support Tree Frogs and BigB Snowy Owls (I suspect there’s a little Harry Potter influence there). After their initial horror at their crazy parents suggesting “no Christmas presents”, they’ve totally come around to the idea. The cute, plush animals definitely helped. Worth considering for your guy or gal?
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Tags:charitable giving