It may be because I was only a virtual participant in the 2010 Passports with Purpose effort. It may be because visiting the school in Cambodia that we built through the 2009 Passports effort was one of my favorite and most emotional motions of 2010. Either way, I’m excited. In fact, I’m thrilled that PwP 2011 starts today.

We have a party tonight in Seattle (5pm at Hotel 1000 if you’re in the area). We have over 100 great bloggers participating this year with some fantastic prizes. Two nights at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort anyone? A $500 gift certificate for BedandBreakfast.com? Those don’t tickle your fancy, eh? Well, how about this then…

This year the prize I’m hosting is an Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle – with extras. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that WanderDad (aka Murph) works on Xbox. That damn product has been part of my life for ten years – and I don’t even like video games!! I’ll concede that the Kinect is a great get-off-the-couch Xbox accessory even for non-gamers. The bundle will include two games and a year-long membership to Xbox Live.

This year Passports with Purpose has partnered with Room to Read. Supporting an early childhood literacy project goes right to the heart of what we love – reading and writing. With your help, our goal is to raise $80,000 to build two libraries in southern and eastern Zambia through Room to Read’s Reading Room program.

If you’re a gamer who’s been waiting to check out the Kinect or a non-gamer who wants to see what all the fuss is about head on over to the Passports with Purpose Donate page. Pick a prize, donate $10 (or more). We’ll give you an entry into a free drawing for any of the prize drawings you choose for each $10 donation. You can donate as many times as you like until December 16th. Head on over, check it out – and thanks for supporting a great cause!

But before you go, a heartfelt Thank You to Passports with Purpose 2011 Sponsors:

• Round the World with Us is a family of travelers committed to raising awareness of global issues, help people to gain a greater understanding of other cultures, and encourage people (especially youth) to see that they have the power to make a real difference in the lives of others.
• Travellerspoint is one of the web’s largest and most active travel communities with members representing every country in the world. To date, their more than 30,000 blogs have shared 175,000 stories and over 1.4 million photos.
• HomeAway is the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, with sites representing more than 625,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 145 countries.

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