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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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.

Subscribe to this blog using RSS, email or follow me on Twitter.

Tags:charitable giving, travel, fundraising, passports with purpose

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