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This is a guest post by Caitlin Fitzsimmons of Roaming Tales.  Caitlin procured a four days/three nights at the all inclusive Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa in St Lucia and three nights in a beachfront cabana at Tranquility Bay in Belize

There is no doubt that building a school in Cambodia is one of the very best of good causes. But with so many good causes bidding for support, it can be hard for a business to know where to channel its corporate social responsibility dollars. Why is a school in Cambodia more worthy than fighting malaria in Africa or repairing the devastation of floods in Bolivia?

Let's face it, all businesses are in the business of making money. That is true for even the most socially responsible companies. While the motivation for corporate giving is often genuine compassion, it is all the better if it helps with marketing as well. It's win-win.

One route that some companies in the travel industry take is a policy of only supporting charities in their local areas. It helps narrow the choices - important when the options are so numerous - and strengthens the company's association with their local communities and regions. That's all well and good, but clearly if this approach were universal it would mean that popular tourist destinations such as Costa Rica and the Caribbean get more charity money, as well as more tourist dollars, than somewhere like Cambodia. (Of course, a huge number of travellers visit the Angkor Wat ruins in Cambodia every year, but the tourism numbers for Cambodia are a fraction of the number of sun-seekers holidaying in the Caribbean). And it's not only travel companies in developing countries that adopt such policies - when I was approaching potential sponsors for Passports with Purpose, I found that even travel companies in California would often only donate locally. I think this is a shame. They say charity begins at home and I know there are families doing it tough in California but most of these people still have a better quality of life than the poorest people in Cambodia. I also think there is room for both - which is why I'm donating to the San Francisco Food Bank this Christmas.

Another route that travel companies can take is to attempt to connect with their audience. I have been amazed by the impressive prize list in this year's Passports with Purpose. On the one hand, I want to thank all the wonderful donors for their generosity. On the other hand, I also think the travel blogging community deserves kudos. It's not just that Pam, Michelle, Beth, Debbie organized Passports with Purpose. It's not just that the rest of the participating travel bloggers backed it so enthusiastically, organizing prizes and promoting it endlessly. Nor is it just that all of YOU made donations (and if you haven't yet, get over to the donations page and make a donation already - it's the last week!). It's also the fact that we as a travel blogging community have reached sufficient critical mass and credibility that companies - airlines, hotels and resorts, camera makers, outdoor equipment brands, and so on - want to donate such awesome prizes for our fundraiser. They could support any number of worthy charities but they want to work with us! How awesome is that? Whether you want to work with brands or not, it is still a vote of confidence in what we do.

Take Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa in Saint Lucia, for example. They have donated a fantastic package valued $2,160 for a family of four to stay three nights at the resort, via my travel and food blog Roaming Tales.  A quick scan of the company's Facebook fan page shows that the resort is no stranger to charitable endeavours. Their generosity is not in doubt. But why did they want to work with us in particular?

Let's hear it from Mark Adams, president of National Continental Hotels, the parent company of Coconut Bay. "At Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa, we love to give back to the travel community. Passports With Purpose is a great way for us to show our support to travel bloggers and travel enthusiasts while helping a great cause. We are so glad the contest grew so rapidly, and I look forward to it continuing to grow over the years."

Well done, fellow travel bloggers! We've come a long way.

Thank you Caitlin, it really was a little bit magical watching all the prizes roll in on Nov 30th.  We've been pleasantly overwhelmed by the support of our fellow bloggers and the travel industry and our donors.  It really is a testament to how far we've all come in the past two years, and how much we can accomplish when we work together. 

$26,000 is a lot of money. Hell, $13,000 is a lot of money. I've said before that when Pam, Debbie, Beth and I started planning Passports with Purpose 2009 I was intimidated by our initial goal of $13k. I was concerned that the current difficult economic climate would cause us to struggle even to match the amount we'd raised last year ($7,400). I am humbled by the generosity our sponsors and donors have shown so far but if we want to reach $26,000 - to fund a school, a well, a garden and a nurse - we still have quite a ways to go.

Today I'm thinking about this effort as a journey. Not to be twee, but as Confucius said, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. And then continues one step after another until you reach your destination. I think this is a perfect metaphor for Passports with Purpose. Sure, this year we've had the support of some great sponsors for which we are truly grateful, but most of the money that has been raised so far has come from individuals like you and me, in $10 and $20 increments.

If you are wondering whether or not your $10 donation is even worthwhile, it is. You're taking everyone who has contributed to this effort so far one step further to the goal of providing education, clean water, healthy food and basic health-care to a group of children in Northern Cambodia who would not have had that opportunity without you. Thank you.

The family (Aye, Jack and Emma) behind the GotPassport: Will Travel, We'll Serve blog was one of our early Passports With Purpose sponsors, and has continued to be our most vocal and passionate sponsor on Twitter and Facebook.  Here is why they decided to sponsor Passports With Purpose this year.  

I was born in Rangoon, Burma.  I lived there until I was 12.  Our entire family moved to the US in 1980 to gain better opportunities and live a better life, thanks to my wonderful parents  Today, because of the opportunities I've been given, including a graduate degree, I can safely say that we have everything we need and MORE in our lives.  We are truly thankful.

• Traveling to places like Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Mexico have provided us with rich experiences as well as a sad ones for me and my husband, @jackventures. 
• Our visits to Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sai and Mae Sot, Thailand reminded me not to ever forget my roots and that I have a responsibility as a human being to always be a voice for those who will never have a voice. 
• Each visit to Burma is a reminder of how fortunate we truly are and we don't mean just in material things.   
• Our Medical Missions to rural Mexico are a constant reminder that we have a good life, access to clean water, healthcare (as long as we can pay for it), and organic food because we have choices.
• Our recent trip to Cambodia gave us the opportunity to see the real need of the people there.

Yes, we have the freedom and the choice to surf the internet when we feel like it, we have the freedom to take an on-line class if we are so willing, we have the freedom to enroll our daughter in a Montessori School of our choice, we have the freedom to purchase learning materials on-line instead of driving to the store, we have FREEDOM and we have CHOICES.  Not so much for so many human beings in other corners of the globe, often voiceless and forgotten.

Joining force with Passports with Purpose was an easy decision for us.   We strive to focus all year round on giving not just monetarily, but our time and attention to those without a voice and those who can never repay us.  

Last year, we asked family to donate to Kiva or a charity of their choice.  This year, during the holiday season, we have asked our family to donate to Passports with Purpose instead of purchasing gifts for our family.

So in my mind's eyes, I imagine the following- come along with me and imagine as well:

• a school is built with classrooms where a teacher is ready to do her part,
• books to be read inside the bookcases,
• computers available, ready to be utilized,
• solar panels to power the computers, 
• a water filter installed for clean water,
• a vegetable garden outside and
• most of all, smiles and joy of laughter and perhaps even tears of joy from children, who now have an opportunity to a better life, because of us, because of YOU!
• I imagine that and I find myself wanting to do more , and give voice to those who will not have it otherwise.

Hats off to the founders of Passports with Purpose, fellow sponsors, many travel bloggers committed to recognizing that Education gives children an opportunity to a better life.

You can check out the family blog at: Got Passport: Will, Travel, We'll Serve Jack also blogs at Jackventures.  You can follow them on Twitter at @gotpassport and @jackventures

HomeAway was among our very first sponsors for Passports With Purpose this year, and we are grateful for their donation, which helped us hit the ground running.  They have also been generous sponsors of other blogging efforts, including the TBEX conference (co-organized by Debbie) this summer and the TBEX Road Trip from Seattle to Chicago (with Pam, Peter, and Kelly).

I asked HomeAway why they decided to sponsor Passports With Purpose this year, and here is what they said:

HomeAway is honored by the opportunity to participate in Passports with Purpose's 2009 fundraiser.  While our business is not directly related to the cause, we are happy to support PwP on their quest to build a school in Cambodia.  We believe the way PwP engages other bloggers to help raise funds is a creative and powerful example of social media at its best.  We're also happy to stand behind Debbie, Pam, Beth and Michelle, and the countless other travel bloggers that are participating in this admirable cause.

Thanks HomeAway!

As I write this post, construction of the Passport school is a sure thing, as is a school nurse.  With an additional $7,500 we can provide a victory garden, gardener and cook who will provide a nutritious free meal each day to the children attending the school.  We've been amazed by your outpouring of support, and by the generosity of the individuals and companies who provided so many wonderful prizes, and we hope you'll help us meet this goal.

Odds of winning are better on some prizes than others.  Sometimes it's because a prize was entered into our system after the starting date.  Other times the product isn't as well known, and some real gems are hiding behind tricky names (you can check out each prize by clicking through to the blog who provided the prize).  Go place entries for these now!  And hey, since we're talking about late entries - if you donated within the first few days, now is a good time to review the full list and see the prizes that were added after you made your donation.

Here are our "Best Odds" prizes (in no particular order)


$100 Gift Certificate to Buckheadlife Restaurant Group
Enjoy fine dining in Atlanta at various restaurants from BuckheadLife Restaurant Group with $100 gift certificate. Check out the list of restaurants at www.buckheadrestaurants.com briggs 

Road trip with Rover: Dog car safety package
Dog car safety package includes a Kurgo Skybox Booster Seat for your small dog (under 20 lbs.) and a Canine Friendly 3-in-1 vest harness. Allows your dog to see out or curl up in comfort and style. 

A PHOTTIX® CLEON II Remote Trigger and 3-in-1 Cleaning Kit 
A prize package consisting of a PHOTTIX® CLEON II Wireless Remote Shutter Release which can be used with any DSLR camera and 3-in-1 Cleaning Kit from Phottix Professional Photo Accessories. 

$200 gift certificate for Viator.com tours & activities 
$200 worth of Viator.com tours and destination activities in more than 400 destinations worldwide. Choose from thousands of adventure activities, city tours, off-the-beaten-path experiences, educational tours, family-friendly outings, theater and show tickets, shore excursions, city passes, day trips and more. 

$100 Gift Certificate at My Busy Kit for travel activities 
$100 Gift Certificate at My Busy Kit - travel activities for kids on the go! Keep the little ones creatively entertained on the plane, on the road, or whenever you need it most. www.mybusykit.com 

One Year of Wanderlust! 
A 1-Year Air Mail subscription to the UK-based Wanderlust Magazine + a copy of their book "Visions of Wanderlust 3". This is my all-time favorite travel magazine... I just know you'll love it! 

$150 Gift Certificate to Restaurant.com 
6- $25 gift certificates to Restaurant.com. May be used at thousands of restaurants within the U.S. Some blackout dates and restrictions may apply per restaurant. 

Photo Safe II Portable Digital Photo Storage 
Photo Safe II is a portable on-the-road digital photo storage with 160GB hard drives, so you can back up your digital photos wherever you go. 

$100 OtterBox Gift Certificate 
OtterBox cases are dedicated to the klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle 

$100 Gift Certificate to Tots on-the-Go 
$100 gift certificate to Tots on-the-Go, the home of smart travel gear for baby and beyond. 

Prism Portable Digital TV 
The Prism Portable Digital TV is lightweight, easy to store and carry with you, and simple for kids and adults to use. It has a 7" screen and includes an antenna, remote control, AC wall adaptor, car charger, and A/V cable. It's completely portable with a built-in rechargeable battery and its built-in ATSC tuner receives all digital TV broadcasts. 

Kelty Backpack 
This Kelty backpack is good for long term traveler as well as those who like hiking around nature! 

$100 Hotel Gift Card at Mr and Mrs Smith 
A $100 Get a Room! gift card, which can be used towards booking any of the devilishly romantic boutique hotels in the Smith collection. 

Southwest Airlines $75 e-gift card 
Pack your bags (and check them in for free) get going with this $75 Southwest Airlines e-gift card. 

Gift Certificate to PosterBrain 
Win $100 worth of gorgeous photo enlargements on 200-year archival photographic paper from PosterBrain.com. Perfect for your travel photos!

To make your donation and enter to win one of these prizes, please see our full prize list

Best Odds Prizes Valued at Over $300
It's no secret that bigger ticket items got more attention than lower ticket items - of the prizes valued at over $300, these have the best odds.

Sierra Designs Lightning XT 4 Tent 
A super light and durable tent perfect for people on the go. 6-pounds, 13-ounces and 57 square feet of floor space! 

Legoland Prize Pack including 2 nights hotel and Legoland park passes 
Four packs of LEGOLAND Parkhopper tickets (Good at Legoland California and the Sea Life Aquarium) plus a copy of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebooks full of great tips to make the most of your Legoland adventure. 

Free Tuition to Matador U's online travel writing program 
Free tuition to Matador Network's online travel writing school, a 12 week curriculum that prepares new and seasoned travel writers alike for the new media publishing landscape. 

Resort package for Coconut Bay, St Lucia 
All-inclusive 3-night stay for family at Coconut Bay Beach Resort on Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Includes free paintball and kite-surfing. 

Horny Toad Men's and Women's Jacket 
Horny Toad Men's Winslow Jacket and Women's Edie Jacket.Insulated, lightweight jackets with water repellent shells. 

Tranquility Bay resort package in Belize 
3 nights accommodation at Tranquility Bay Resort in Belize plus free use of kayaks. 

One Night At The Fairmont Olympic
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel has donated a one night Bed and Breakfast package in Executive Accommodations with valet parking included. 

To make your donation and enter to win one of these prizes, please see our full prize list

It's been a wild coupla weeks for the Passports with Purpose gang. We watched during week one as we quickly approached and then surpassed our original goal of $13,000.

THIRTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS

Imagine that! Those dollars are going to build a school in Cambodia!

Part of the wildness of the past 2 weeks had to do with what we should do once we blew past our goal. After a meeting of the minds, we made some decisions on how to continue helping those little tykes - see Pam's post for details. Oh, and we moved the goal post, too.

As we attempt to attract another 13 grand, we are humbled by the number of individuals who've been chipping in $10, $20 and even hundreds of dollars over the last 11 days. And, we've also had another Silver Sponsor jump on board. Thank you BootsnAll! You folks are the bomb!

Quick love note about BootsnAll - visit these folks for all your independent travel needs. It's a community. It's a blogosphere. It's a booking engine. It's a planning site. Don't leave home without 'em.

And in case you hadn't heard, we've had other folks who stepped up to the plate to help us kick off this little venture - Got Passport: Will Travel, We'll Serve, HomeAway, Raveable, Travelfish, TravellersPoint Travel Community and Uptake. Thanks for believing in our cause!

A biG bIG BIG thanks goes to Virtuoso, our Platinum sponsor. Big heart doesn't begin to describe what you folks have.

Monday we'll be posting a list of items for which you'll have the best chances of winning. A few new items got posted late so if you haven't checked out the list recently... do so now, please.

Good weekend to all. Don't forget that when you're out holiday shopping, nothing beats a $10 donation for an item worth $75 - $2,746 - cause that's what we've got for you here at PwP!

Beth

Amy Querido is originally from Thailand and is passionate about the difference education can make. She blogs at The Q Family Adventures and Atlanta with Kid.

If you are reading this post, it means by some chances you have heard about Passports With Purpose from blogs, Facebook, email or Twitter. Here's a little about how I have came to know about Passports with Purpose.

I started blogging almost 2 years ago but I was just a lone blogger. I blogged about my own little adventure but knew no one and had no community. Then late that year, I started to read other family travel blogs. I was a lurker. I just read and never left any comments to any blog. That's when I first read about Passports with Purpose.

But what did I do about it? NOTHING. I didn't write a post about it. I didn't provide a prize for the raffle and I didn't donate. By the time, I realized that I could do something to help it was too late.

This year I start blogging more regularly and participating more in blogging world. I started to know more travel bloggers from all walks of life with different traveling styles. I have found my people! They might not have known me but I feel like I have known them.

When I first saw Pam's tweet about Passports with Purpose and ask if anyone is interested in joining. I DMed her right away. I didn't 't know how I could help yet but I knew I wanted to.

Why?

I believe in giving back. I believe that I'm RICH. Yes, I have said it. I'm rich.. I have more than I need. I'm blessed to have beautiful family, good job and good health. I was born and grew up in Thailand. So I knew first hand how fortunate I am to have what I have. One of the most important things I have learned all those years is EDUCATION is gold. It likes this old quote:

"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; you have fed him for a lifetime" - Author Unknown

Education is the best gift anyone could give to another person. If you ask any parent, you will find that one of their top priorities for their children is a good education. So when Pam sent me the details on what organization Passports with Purpose will work with this year, I was more than on board. I am committed to help and to promote this great cause to anyone I know.

Even though I have never been to Cambodia. I have no doubt that our little effort in this corner of the world wide web will make an enormous impact to those who will get a chance to go to school.

I also believe in setting a good example for my children. Kids learn from observing their parents more than listening to what their parents told them to do. My kids already know that I blog. So it's just another step to teach them to learn about other kids from the other side of the world and to have compassion for them.

There are many many reasons I joined Passports with Purpose. But in the end, I just wanted to help!!

Amy is giving away a 100 USD gift certificate for the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group for the PwP cause. Learn more about her hosted prize here.  Buckhead Life has a 13 restaurants, primarily in Atlanta, so if you live that-away or are planning a trip there, this is a nice thing to have in your pocket. Share this with your southern US pals, they deserve a nice meal, don't they?

Lisa and Cheryl traveled around the world for 18 months and had amazing opportunities to volunteer with schools in Mexico, Thailand and Kenya. From Lisa: " Education means everything to these students and being able to provide a very real solution is something to feel especially proud of." Lisa and Cheryl blog about their travels at What Boundaries.

It was the pride in the seventeen-year-old Masaai boy's voice when he said, "Now all the children in the village can go to primary school. We now have school big enough for everyone."

Or maybe it was the joy shining in the faces from one room in rural Mexico that served as the entire school for ages six through sixteen...

Or perhaps it was the colorful wildflowers picked by small Thai hands to thank us for teaching them basic English words and sharing their smiles...

It's impossible to put a price on education for these children and to be a small part of building a school in Cambodia is something we feel very strongly about. Cheryl and I are blessed to have spent the last eighteen months traveling, writing, and volunteering around the world. During this time we've seen happiness on the faces of schoolchildren, many without shoes on their feet, and the excitement of learning in their voices. It's a gift we hope others can experience in their own lives some day!

The schoolchildren's faces were hard to get out of minds. Their eagerness to soak up everything being presented to them was enormous. Showing a shy thirteen-year-old girl in S. Africa how to turn on a computer for the first time, move a mouse, and watching her face as a new world opened in front of her - that was something close to miraculous.

A little Mexican boy tugs on our hands and points to a picture on the wall, "Tortuga," he says slowly, then shouts "Turtle!" with a proud, gap-toothed smile.

In Kenya, where the most basic item is a luxury, we asked the teachers, "What do the children need?" "Pens and paper," was the reply. So we organized a drive to collect and the response was wonderful. Putting together care packages for these schoolchildren is something we plan to continue in the future.

When deciding what prize to donate to Passports With Purpose, we simply asked ourselves, "What would WE most like to have?" and came up with the Flip Mino Video Camera. "Easy-to-operate" and "portable" have become mantras in our traveling lifestyles and hopefully will make it easier for someone to tell their own stories!

Lisa is right -- the Flip is big fun. Read about the What Boundaries prize here and then, make a donation.

"So, did you accomplish anything interesting last week?" I asked Beth when I got to Easy Street -- it's a music store/diner in our neighborhood where the PwP crew was meeting for breakfast. "You mean like building a school?" she responded. 

We are giddy with our success, overjoyed. Thanks are in order.

• We're so grateful for the support of our sponsors -- Virtuoso, Got Passport: Will Travel, We'll Serve, HomeAway, Raveable, Travelfish, TravellersPoint Travel Community and Uptake -- their generosity gave us an incredible head start. 
• We're overwhelmed by the participation of the blogging community -- from the particpating bloggers who lined up such great giveaways to the folks who have helped spread the word about our efforts.
  
• Our support crew helped make things happen -- we have Meg Paynor drivng PR, Cillian Murphy and Peyman Oreizy solving our techical problems. Matt Knannlein made our passport stamp inspired graphics, and UnderSolen Media is expanding our social media reach.
  
• Finally, we'd be nowhere without the people who have taken the time to give. We know that there's great stuff to be had, but we also know that the donations are from the heart. 

We know a little bit more about our school this morning. It will be built in Preah Vihear and yes, geography experts, that's the region that's under dispute with Thailand. We also know that it will open in about six months -- June of 2010 is our current best guess.

We have two weeks to go. And we want our school -- YOUR school -- to have the best possible facilities. There are a series of additional items we can fund, but over coffee this morning, Beth, Debbie, Michelle and I opted to go for those that support health.  We can fund clean water, healthy meals, and medical care. From the AAfC site: 

Health: Many students in rural villages suffer from a lack of health care, unsafe drinking water and lack of nutritious food. Donors may add two water filters to the school to allow access to clean water at the school. A "Victory" vegetable garden in which students receive one free, nutritious meal each day, includes building materials, seeds, one gardener, one cook, and a garden well when needed. Finally, a school nurse recruited from a local clinic promotes health education and gives students regular health check-ups. These features combine reduce student malnutrition, increase attentiveness, and raise attendance.

School improvements:

• Hagar water filter: $300 one-time cost
• 1 "Victory" vegetable garden,: $7,500 funds first two years, $2,000 each additional year
• School nurse: $5400/year

We need to raise an additional 13,000 to meet provide this package of services for the kids.  And you know it, we need your help to do it. This doubles our goal to 26000, but we believe that with your support, the reach of this community, and the big hearts of our donors, we can get there.

Prove us right. Spread the word and GIVE. Thank you.