Midwest Guest

Passports with Purpose makes Room to Read

Among my favorite memories as a kid are the frequent trips to our local library with my mom, and I'm especially excited to help our travel blogging community's fundraising drive to build, not just one, but two libraries in Zambia as our fourth annual Passports with Purpose (PwP) project.

My mom helped me pick out a new batch of books at the library every couple of weeks, and I eagerly slipped into the little, wire Bertoia chairs our library's children's room to embark on an adventure with the likes of Curious George or Dr. Seuss while waiting for my mom to pick out a few books of her own to take home.

Those early library trips helped fuel what became a lifetime love of reading and knowledge for me. I love seeing Passports with Purpose working to extend the same opportunity that children like I had to enjoy a local library by supporting Room to Read.

Room to Read is a non-profit 501(c)(3) group with the mission of helping children in developing countries to develop literacy skills, with a special emphasis on helping young women complete their secondary school education. This year, PwP partners with Room to Read to build two libraries in Zambia.

I always check out groups I want to support on the Charity Navigator site, which rates charities based on their accountability and transparency, and I was pleased to see that Room to Read scored a four-star rating and high marks for the group's overhead-to-program ratio. Room to Read's own Web site contains details about their financials as well.

PwP, created by four Seattle-based travel bloggers in 2008 as a quickly organized drive that resulted in raising $7,500 to benefit Heifer International. I supported that drive, as well as one in 2009 that raised $30,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia and the third annual drive in 2010 that raised more than $50,000 to build an entire village in India.

The travel blogging community certainly doesn't think small!

How do we accomplish these grand goals?

Passports with Purpose bloggers ask their readers and friends to donate $10 to enter into a drawing for the prize of their choice from a great list of prizes furnished by bloggers and their sponsors.

Want to enter more than one drawing? No problem! For each $10 donation you make between now and December 16, Passports with Purpose enters you into the drawing for a prize of your choice. Note as you bid for prizes that shipping restrictions, terms, and blackout dates might apply in some cases.

PwP will notify prize winners on December 23, 2010.

All funds raised (minus a small Paypal fee) go to Room to Read.

There are plenty of great drawings to enter as the prize list goes live today, so check it out and help us build those libraries!

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Passports with Purpose: "Everything is possible"

So, how many travel bloggers does it take to build a village?

Well, check out the latest update over at Passports with Purpose, where you'll see that over 300 caring folks united behind the goal of raising $50,000 within a month to build an entire village are proving that "everything is possible".

We're on the verge of seeing our travel blogging community's one-month effort provide a lifetime of hope and self-sufficiency for at least 25 of India's poorest families as we reach our $50,000 fundraising goal.

Better yet? We have a few more days to continue the effort and make the future even brighter for those in our village as we surpass the $50,000 milestone!

How can you help?

Travel bloggers ask our readers and friends to donate $10 to enter a drawing for the prize of their choice from a great list of prizes donated by bloggers and their sponsors.

There are so many great prizes like travel getaways, travel gear, electronic goodies, and truly unique things (like a train set or ukulele) on the list, that you'll want to enter more than one drawing. No problem! You can enter a drawing for each, and every, $10 donation between now and December 13.

Note as you bid for prizes that shipping restrictions, terms, and blackout dates might apply in some cases. PwP will notify prize winners on December 17, 2010.

All funds raised (minus a small Paypal fee) go to building our village in India through Friends of LAFTI, a 501(c)3 organization. Check out the Passports with Purpose site for more information about LAFTI, PwP sponsors, and the fund raising drive's progress.

You need to hurry, though. We wrap up this year's Passports with Purpose drive December 13, so you've only got a few days to place those bids and help us make a lifetime of difference for so many others.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Passports with Purpose: It takes a community to build a village

So, how many travel bloggers does it take to build a village?

We'll soon know the answer to that question as dedicated travel bloggers across the globe work together to accomplish the goal of building an entire village in India as the third annual Passports with Purpose project.

PwP, created by four Seattle-based travel bloggers, harnesses the talent and social reach of the travel blogging community to make positive change in the world. The group started three years ago with the modest goal of raising $5,000 to benefit Heifer International and emboldened by their success in meeting and beating that goal by about $2,500 in 2008 with a hastily organized drive, they set their sights even higher for the next year.

In 2009, PwP raised $30,000 to build an entire school in rural Cambodia. You can see a few photos of the completed school and its eager students here.

This year, the PwP beneficiary is the Land for Tillers' Freedom (LAFTI), a non-profit group based in India seeking to help some of that country's poorest families achieve self-sufficiency by helping them establish strong farming communities.

How will the PwP crew accomplish this?

The group asks their readers and friends to donate $10 to enter into a drawing for the prize of their choice from a great list of prizes furnished by bloggers and their sponsors.

Want to enter more than one drawing? No problem! For each $10 donation you make between now and December 13, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for a prize of your choice. Note as you bid for prizes that shipping restrictions, terms, and blackout dates might apply in some cases.

PwP will notify prize winners on December 17, 2010.

All funds raised (minus a small Paypal fee) go to building our village in India through Friends of LAFTI, a 501(c)3 organization.

There are plenty of great drawings to enter as the prize list goes live today, so check it out and help us build that village!

Thank you PwP sponsors: BootsnAll, LiveMocha, Round the World with Us, Hostelling International, Quintess, Raveable, TravelPost, and Uptake.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Join Passports with Purpose in planting seeds for success

Travel bloggers working together through this year's Passports with Purpose fund raising drive quickly reached their goal of raising $13,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia.

Passports with Purpose is working with American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), the organization founded by American journalist Bernie Krisher in 1993 and responsible for the construction of more than 400 primary and secondary schools in rural Cambodia.

That's all well and good, but what school is complete without a school nurse? Plus, how does a child without access to plentiful clean water and nutritious food concentrate on their studies?

With a week left in the Passports with Purpose fund raising session left, and plenty of great prizes to bid on, let's plant the seeds for serious success at our school by raising an additional $13,000 to provide a school nurse, a garden and gardener, a cook, and a water filter.

Check out Passports with Purpose's progress toward the fundraising goal by checking out the widget on the right-hand side of my blog.

Better yet, go to the Passports with Purpose site, select the prizes you'd love to win and help give the gift of a brighter future to children whose prospects are dim without the resources to become educated and build better lives for themselves.

For each ten dollar donation you make between now and December 21, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Note as you bid for prizes that shipping restrictions, terms, and blackout dates might apply in some cases.

One hundred percent of the donations go directly to AAfC, a 501 (c)(3) charity.

Passports with Purpose will announce the prize winners on January 5, 2010.

© Dominique King 2009 All right reserved

Passports with Purpose drive to build school launches today

Travel bloggers demonstrated the reach and potential of harnessing blogging and social media to help others with the successful Passports with Purpose last year, tackling the even more ambitious goal of building a school with the launch the second annual Passports with Purpose drive today.

Passports with Purpose founders and travel bloggers Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, and Pam Mandel, inspired by the success of other blogging groups to raise money for worthy causes, launched Passports with Purpose in late 2008. The group raised $7400 last year, with very little lead time or advance planning, to benefit Heifer International.

This year, the philanthropic quartet chose American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) as the 2009 Passports with Purpose beneficiary.  The AAfC is an independent and non-profit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia.

Passports with Purpose co-founder, Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby, visited Cambodia and says that rebuilding the country's economy and intellectual society destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s remains a strong desire among Cambodians, but limited resources to do so in rural Cambodia make those goals ever elusive. Lacking access to education, children in rural area are at risk of falling prey to poverty or becoming victims of sex trafficking.

American journalist Bernie Krisher founded AAfC in 1993, and the group lists the construction of more than 400 primary and secondary schools in rural Cambodia as one of its major accomplishments.

Those familiar with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof may know of his personal effort to build a school through AAfC.

AAfC has a donor pledged to foot half the cost of building a school, and this year's Passports with Purpose fundraiser aims to raise the $13,000 necessary to complete the project through raffling some great prizes at the Passports with Purpose site.

Check out the Passports with Purpose Web site for more information about the group and how you can help.

Select the prizes you'd love to win, and go to the Passports with Purpose link to make your donation. For each ten dollar donation you make between now and December 21, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Note as you bid for prizes that shipping restrictions, terms, and blackout dates might apply in some cases.

One hundred percent of the donations go directly to AAfC, a 501 (c)(3) charity.

Passports with Purpose will announce the prize winners on January 5, 2010.

Meanwhile, you can keep track of Passport with Purpose's progress toward the goal of building a school by checking out the widget on the right-hand side of my blog, or visit the Passports with Purpose site.

Last year's prize list included some pretty fabulous items--many things that would make a great gift for someone on your list, even as you help give the gift of a brighter future to children whose prospects are dim without the resources to become educated and build better lives for themselves.

Help the travel blogging community help others, any maybe find some great travel blogs you'll continue to enjoy year round in the process!

© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved

Passports with Purpose

I enjoy decorating our Christmas tree and enjoying the tree, with its special ornaments and twinkling lights, in the warmth of my home. It’s a tradition that brings a lot of joy to me during the season.

I’m also overjoyed to participate in a new tradition aimed at sharing the joy of the season and the gift of giving with others—Passports with Purpose, a travelbloggers’ fundraising effort to benefit Heifer International.

Passports with Purpose is nearing its goal of raising $5,000 to benefit Heifer International as I write this, but there is still a week left to get in on the action and help us meet and surpass our goal!

Check out the Passports with Purpose prize page for information about prizes, including an opportunity to whet your appetite for travel with my book package:

Spain: A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali w/Gwyneth Paltrow
1,000 Places to See Before You Die-by Patricia Schultz
Immersion Travel USA-by Sheryl Kayne
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives-by Guy Fieri
Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear-by Holly Hughes

(Books shipped to a winner in the United States or Canada)

My book bundle (prize #B01) is just one of the prizes offered in the Passports with Purpose effort. So, before you make your donation, be sure to check out all of the great prizes you could win.

Select the prizes you’d love to win, and go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving link to make your donation. For each ten dollar donation you make, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Make sure you enter your email address and the number of the prize you want to win in the comments field, so the Passports with Purpose crew can notify you if you win! Passports with Purpose promises not to use your email for any other purpose than to notify you if you win a prize.

Passports with Purpose founders will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30, 2008.

Help us help others, and maybe find some great travelblogs you’ll continue to enjoy year round in the process!

© Dominique King 2008

Passports with Purpose

We fell in love with Basque cuisine when we visited Basque Country during a walking tour of the area several years ago.

Great food was everywhere we traveled in the Basque region. We even stopped at a highway truck stop where a long line of cured hams hung drying over the coffee counter as travelers enjoyed a quick roadside meal.

Reading Mario Batali’s descriptions of visiting the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim art museum in Bilbao, sampling pintxos (the Basque word for tapas) mid-afternoon at a busy pintxos counter and enjoying hake fish prepared with a pil-pil sauce brought back some nice memories of our trip to the Basque Country. You can check out Batali’s Basque adventures, and exploration of other regions of a country with a fascinating cultural and culinary history, in his book Spain: A Culinary Road Trip, a companion volume to his Public Broadcasting System television series of the same name.

This book is just one in a package of food and travel books donated by Midwest Guest to the travelblogger Passports with Purpose fundraiser benefiting Heifer International.

Check out the Passports with Purpose prize page for information about prizes, including an opportunity to whet your appetite for travel with my book package:

Spain: A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali w/Gwyneth Paltrow
1,000 Places to See Before You Die-by Patricia Schultz
Immersion Travel USA-by Sheryl Kayne
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives-by Guy Fieri
Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear-by Holly Hughes

(Books shipped to a winner in the United States or Canada)

My book bundle is just one of the prizes offered in the Passports with Purpose effort. So, before you make your donation, be sure to check out all of the great prizes you could win.

Select the prizes you’d love to win, and go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving link to make your donation. For each ten dollar donation you make, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Make sure you enter your email address and the number of the prize you want to win in the comments field, so the Passports with Purpose crew can notify you if you win! Passports with Purpose promises not to use your email for any other purpose than to notify you if you win a prize.

Passports with Purpose founders will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30, 2008.

Help us help others, and maybe find some great travelblogs you’ll continue to enjoy year round in the process!

© Dominique King 2008

Passports with Purpose

We’re big fans of Food Network television shows at our house, including Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”. Finding little out of-the-way family diners and other independent eateries are often the best parts of our road trips. So when we saw Guy’s show that featured a joint called Evelyn’s Drive-In on the waterfront in Tiverton, Rhode Island just before we left for a vacation in that state, we knew it was a must-stop destination for us.

Guy’s enthusiasm for the place was spot-on, I thought as I sat on Evelyn’s waterside patio, enjoying Rhode Island clam chowder, a whole-bellied clam roll and a cold beer on a sunny summer day.

Want to whip up a pot of Evelyn’s Rhode Island clam chowder? Or plot a roadmap to some of the best and quirkiest roadside food to check out on your next U.S. road trip? Well, Guy’s book (featuring lots of cool eateries and recipes) is just one in a package of food and travel books donated by Midwest Guest to the travelblogger Passports with Purpose fundraiser benefiting Heifer International.

Check out the Passports with Purpose prize page for information about prizes, including an opportunity to whet your appetite for travel with my book package (prize number B01):

Spain: A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali w/Gwyneth Paltrow
1,000 Places to See Before You Die-by Patricia Schultz
Immersion Travel USA-by Sheryl Kayne
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives-by Guy Fieri
Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear-by Holly Hughes

(Books shipped to a winner in the United States or Canada)

My book bundle is just one of the prizes offered in the Passports with Purpose effort. So, before you make your donation, be sure to check out all of the great prizes you could win.

Select the prizes you’d love to win, and go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving link to make your donation. For each ten dollar donation you make, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Make sure you enter your email address and the number of the prize you want to win in the comments field, so the Passports with Purpose crew can notify you if you win! Passports with Purpose promises not to use your email for any other purpose than to notify you if you win a prize.

Passports with Purpose founders will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30, 2008.

Help us help others, and maybe find some great travelblogs you’ll continue to enjoy year round in the process!

© Dominique King 2008

Passports with Purpose

December brings holiday cheer for so many of us as we enjoy time with our families and friends and as we share many of our celebrations over fabulous meals with a menu that includes some of our favorite foods.

Others in the world may not be as fortunate, but I’m proud to be part of an exciting effort by our travelblogging community to help address the issues of lingering hunger and poverty around the globe—Passports with Purpose.

Travelbloggers everywhere quickly sprung into action when a call went out from the Passports with Purpose team asking us to round up a prize to raffle off, with the proceeds going directly to Heifer International. Heifer International is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating hunger and poverty around the globe by providing families with the tools, skills and livestock to create the opportunity to build their own lasting self-sufficiency. Recipients of the organization’s animals pledge to pass on the offspring of gift animals to others in their community, creating a chain of partners working to improve the lives of their entire community.

Learn more about Heifer International and its good work here.

Want to help?

The Passports with Purpose crew set up a site to organize the fundraiser, showcase the prize collection and facilitate donations through First Giving.

Check out the Passports with Purpose prize page for information about prizes, including an opportunity to whet your appetite for travel with a collection of books about traveling and culinary adventures offered by Midwest Guest:

Spain: A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali w/Gwyneth Paltrow
1,000 Places to See Before You Die-by Patricia Schultz
Immersion Travel USA-by Sheryl Kayne
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives-by Guy Fieri
Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear-by Holly Hughes

(Books shipped to a winner in the United States or Canada)

My book bundle is just one of the prizes offered in the Passports with Purpose effort. So, before you make your donation, be sure to check out all of the great prizes you could win.

Select the prizes you’d love to win, and go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving link to make your donation. For each ten dollar donation you make, Passports with Purpose enters you into the raffle for your prize of choice. Make sure you enter your email address and the prize you want to win in the comments field, so the Passports with Purpose crew can notify you if you win! Passports with Purpose promises not to use your email for any other purpose than to notify you if you win a prize. There is more information on the First Giving page.

Passports with Purpose founders will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30, 2008.

Want to learn more?

Visit Passports with Purpose here.

Help us help others, and maybe find some great travelblogs you’ll continue to enjoy year round in the process!

Meanwhile, best wishes for you and yours this holiday season!

© Dominique King 2008