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Passports with Purpose: Win an Epic Pass; help build schools in Mali

By Mara

My 11-year-old son Tommy recently wrote this poem, which I share with his permission:

Northstar at Tahoe ski resort Skier to Skier

inspired by “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes

Well, boy, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no ski run.

There’s been huge wipeouts,

And ice patches,

And big jumps,

And hot chocolate burning your mouth-

Ouch.

But all the time

I’ve been gettin’ back up,

Strappin’ my boots on again,

Landin’ jumps.

And takin’ the hardest trail

‘Till there is no light.

So boy don’t you turn back now.

Don’t you unstrap your skis.

‘Cause your cold and tired.

Boy, don’t you turn back now-

For I’m still skiin’,

I’m still carvin’ tracks in the snow,

And life for me ain’t been no ski run.

I’ll admit to a healthy dose of mother pride when I read what he wrote – I love that he feels inspired to imitate poems he reads and loves. But what it also elicits in me is a strong feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude that Tommy has wonderful teachers who have taught him the beauty and value of poetry.

Gratitude that we have access to so many books in our house in which he can find inspiration.

Gratitude that he is an avid reader who thinks continually about the words he reads, who finds information all around him via the written word.

Turning gratitude into action 

With Thanksgiving upon us, this is a week for gratitude in the United States. And what better time to kick off the annual Passports with Purpose fundraiser? Since 2008 the travel blogging community has come together to raise money to fund a variety projects in the developing world, all of them designed to help people in concrete and long-lasting ways.

I’m so happy to have the chance to turn my gratitude into a tangible means of helping other children attain what my own boys have and delight in: The ability to read. Access to books and education. A classroom with teachers that delight and inspire them.

This year Passports with Purpose is raising $115,000 to fund three primary schools and three adult literacy programs in southern Mali, Africa with the charity buildOn.org.

Why Mali?

 

Schools in Mali - credit buildOn.org

Mali is the fifth poorest country in the world according to the UN Human Development Index, and has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world as well, especially among girls and women.

The good news is that Mali is gradually becoming more stable after a rebel takeover and coup. Presidential and parliamentary elections have both been held in the last six months and so this is an ideal time to encourage autonomy and education among a population that has seen its share of turmoil and bloodshed.

And with over 500 schools constructed in some of the poorest countries in the world, our charity partner buildOn.org knows how to work with local communities as a partner in all of their construction efforts. They also make sure that women and girls are educated equally; 49 percent of the students in their schools are female.

I love to think that children like my son – bright, eager to learn, lovers of reading – will get the opportunity to write their own poems thanks to the money we raise.

A skier’s dream prize thanks to Vail Resorts

 

Epic Pass from Vail Resorts There’s another reason that I wanted to share Tommy’s poem as part of my Passports with Purpose appeal. It just so happens to connect beautifully to the prize that my sponsor Vail Resorts is donating.

I’m proud to announce that for each $10 you donate to Passports with Purpose you can enter to win an Epic Pass from Vail Resorts for the 2013-14 ski season!

The Epic Pass gives you unlimited and unrestricted access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Eldora, and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts in Colorado as well as Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood ski resorts in California and Canyons in Utah. And if all that U.S. skiing isn’t enough for you, this pass also includes five days each at Verbier, Switzerland; Arlberg, Austria, and Les Trois Vallees, France.

Riding the Keystone gondola I’ve skied with my family at two Vail Resorts: Keystone and Northstar and am a big fan of both. These mountains offer great terrain, world-class restaurants, and loads of family-friendly skiing fun. With this pass, valued at over $700, you’ll have access to some of the best skiing North America and Europe have to offer.

And if you’re not in the market for a ski pass, don’t worry. In fact, from hotel stays to tours to luggage there are loads of fabulous prizes. Every $10 that you donate to Passports with Purpose goes directly to fund our project with buildOn and also gets you one chance toward the prize of your choice. You can donate $50 and split your chances among five different prizes or put all your money toward one prize of your choice.

To browse the other prizes and donate for chances to win, please visit the Passports with Purpose prize catalogue between today and December 9, 2013. And if you feel like helping even more, you might use one of those buttons up at the top of this post to spread the word. Since our fundraiser takes place entirely online, we look to lots of social media love using the hashtag #PWP to get the word out.

And finally – when I talked about gratitude at the beginning of this post, there’s one thing I’m thankful for that I didn’t mention and that’s all of my readers. It’s because of your generosity that we’re able to raise money for these important project year after year. Thank you.

Want to learn more about Passports with Purpose and the work we do?

Last spring I had the privilege to visit Haiti and see firsthand how the money raised by Passports with Purpose helps people. You can read about my experience here:

  • More than wells
  • The process of getting clean water
  • Water at last

I couldn’t have gone to Haiti without the help of Expedia, the Passports with Purpose Platinum Sponsor this year and last.Our fundraiser wouldn’t happen without their support and that of our other sponsors:

Gold Sponsor

DK Eyewitness Travel: DK Eyewitness Guides and Rough Guides;

Silver Sponsor

TBEX

Bronze sponsors

HomeAway

HostelBookers

Go With Oh

Eating London

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Filed Under: Giving back, Passports with purpose, We've been here

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Comments

  1. Mandy Davies says

    December 1, 2013 at 9:03 pm

    What a great idea. I lived in Africa (South) for several years and I know what a difference programs like this can make. Excellent! Never been skiing though and too old now!

  2. Jimmy Jones says

    December 1, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    I love Mali – been several times. But I also know how in Africa you see great poverty and wealth side by side. It’s people like you who will fix it over the long term – not governments.

  3. Emily Stewart says

    December 1, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    This young person’s poetry is inspiring – more adults need to relearn this attitude in today’s west where entitlement is so pronounced : But all the time
    I’ve been gettin’ back up,
    Strappin’ my boots on again,
    Landin’ jumps.

    fantastic!

  4. Cat of Sunshine and Siestas says

    December 6, 2013 at 6:26 am

    I first heard about PwP last year at TBU. Super cool cause, and a great way to do it! And, um, this prize is definitely the best I’ve seen this year!

Trackbacks

  1. Best odds at the pricier end of our catalogue : passportswithpurpose.org says:
    December 5, 2013 at 10:00 am

    […] One Vail Resorts Epic Season Pass […]

  2. My Favorite Project of 2013 says:
    December 6, 2013 at 1:36 am

    […] A 4-country ski pass […]

  3. Limited Supply of Ski Properties Pushes Demand From Wealthy Buyers - France Property Magazine says:
    January 4, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    […] Ski properties are increasingly in demand amongst wealthy investors around the world who are compet…ch. They not only have lifestyle advantages but also the potential for long term capital growth as the average price of ski homes around the world increased by 4.6% in the 12 months to the end of June 2013, according to the latest index from Knight Frank. This means that ski properties outperformed luxury homes in many cities and popular second home locations around the world such as the French Riviera, according to the Prime Ski Property Index (PSPI) which tracks the price performance of luxury homes located across 18 ski resorts worldwide. [social_quote duplicate="no" align="default"]Wealthy investors competing for an asset, ski properties, which are in relatively limited supply[/social_quote] Ski homes in South Lake Tahoe in the United States and Queenstown in New Zealand recorded the strongest price growth over the period, rising on average by 20.9% and 18.6% respectively. In Europe, the Swiss resorts of Zermatt and Davos recorded the strongest annual price growth, up by 14.1% and by 10% respectively. These locations were closely followed by properties in the resorts of Morzine and Chamonix which saw prices rise by 8.5% and 8% respectively. Aspen in the United States and Whistler in Canada were the next best performing North American destinations having recorded growth of 7.4% and 6.3% over the 12 months to June 2013. ‘Ski homes are appealing to a growing pool of wealthy investors who are seeking a relatively finite asset, one with lifestyle advantages and the potential for long term capital growth,’ said Kate Everett-Allen, of the international residential research team at Knight Frank. In previous years the PSPI results were relatively clear cut with Swiss resorts at the top of the rankings for price growth, the French Alps mid table and the North American and Russian resorts towards the bottom. [social_quote duplicate="no" align="right"]Ski properties in Morzine and Chamonix see prices rise by 8.5% and 8% respectively.[/social_quote] In 2013 however, the resorts and their respective world regions are interspersed throughout the rankings. Despite record snowfalls in the Alps during the 2012/2013 season, the volume of property sales in the Les Trois Vallées has been limited, partly due to tight supply. ‘The ski property market does not function along the normal laws of supply and demand. Ski property owners are usually discretionary sellers with no pressing need to sell unless the right price is achieved,’ explained Everett-Allen. The index shows that a consistent performer in relation to price growth has been has been the Swiss resort of Verbier recording annual price growth of 6.2% and 8.2% over the last two years. However, even here the volume of prime properties sold declined significantly in 2012. ‘We expect sales activity to improve during the 2013/2014 season as interest in ski homes spreads beyond Europe and North America to emerging centres of wealth,’ added Everett-Allen. Indeed, a Knight Frank survey of HNWI advisors recently showed that their Latin American clients were the largest owners of ski homes and there was significant appetite for a ski property amongst their wealthy Middle Eastern clients. […]

I'm a family travel expert & award-winning writer who loves to eat. Explore this site and you'll find lots of stories about my adventures, and family travel tips. More about Mara

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