It’s time for Passports with Purpose 2013 and today I have the pleasure of participating in the kick-off of this year’s fund-raising activities and sharing a secret with you. A secret you say? Yes, indeedy, a secret: my secret, favorite weekend-away getaway location in Washington State.
First, let’s do a little review of Passports with Purpose. This will be the sixth year that I’ve worked on this online fund-raiser as co-founder and board member. In previous years we’ve built a school in Cambodia, a village in India, libraries in Zambia and water wells in Haiti.
This year we’ve set our fund-raising goal at $115,000 and we’re partnering with buildOn.org, an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is “to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education”. With $115,000 we will be able to construct three schools and fund three adult literacy programs in the Sikasso region of southern Mali, Africa.
That’s the why. Let’s move on to the What, as in “What’s that about a secret?” Have you ever spent a weekend in Walla Walla, Washington? It’s way over on the far eastern side of the state in the desert grasslands of the Palouse. No? well, I’m here to tell you why you should firstly, and secondly to help you get there – by participating in Passports with Purpose this year.
My prize this year is a overnight stay at the Marcus Whitman hotel in Walla Walla. You can donate $10 and enter to win this prize on the Passports with Purpose Prize Catalog page.
I’m thrilled to announce this prize because I love Walla Walla. For the past couple of years (since my children have been old enough to leave home alone overnight), my husband and I have escaped to Walla Walla in October for a fun weekend of food and wine. We usually choose a weekend during the grape harvest (known as the “crush”) when the many wineries in the Walla Walla area are in full swing loading, delivering, crushing and fermenting wine. You get to see the wine-making business from the production end – and also taste the results from as many of the prior years as you like 
We tend to bring our bikes with us and combine a little wine-tasting with a little (moderate) exercise – which, of course, limits the number of wineries we can visit in a day, but maybe that’s a good thing.
Prize Details
One Night Stay in an Executive Tower Suite at the Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center.
The Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center is a landmark and storied gathering place for the local community and visitors alike. Anchoring historic downtown Walla Walla, the property includes a luxury hotel, expansive modern conference center, six on-site wine tasting rooms (I told you, Walla Walla, it’s all about the wine!), art gallery, and a nationally recognized gourmet restaurant and wine lounge, all set to a sophisticated old-world backdrop.
Built in 1928 through a community labor of love, The Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center was fully renovated in 2001, and restored to its original grandeur, while adding modern updates to provide a truly luxurious experience for today’s traveler. With 127 beautifully appointed guestrooms and the addition of more than 13,000 square feet of event and conference space, the hotel is the perfect place to enjoy a romantic wine country getaway – guests can walk to more than 20 wine tasting rooms from the hotel and experience more than 100 wineries within 20 miles – establish a base for exploring the Walla Walla Valley, or to relax during business travel.
How to Donate (and enter the free sweepstakes drawing for this prize)
Just as in previous years, Passports with Purpose 2013 will operate as an online free drawing. This great prize is listed on the donation page. For each $10 donation that you make, you get a chance to enter a free drawing for this or any of the other prizes listed. It’s that simple. Go, check out the prizes, donate $10, $20, $50 or $100 and on December 16th 2013 we’ll announce the winner of each prize.
The Passports with Purpose 2013 sponsors are:
