The third annual Passports with Purpose (PwP) fundraiser goes live today with an ambitious but reachable goal. We aim to raise $50,000 to build a village in India for people who have never had homes, members of the Dalit caste, India's "untouchables." All moneys raised, with the exception of Paypal fees, will go directly to the nonprofit organization Land for Tillers' Freedom (LAFTI) through the Friends of LAFTI Foundation.
Beginning today, November 15, through December 13, you will be able to bid on a wide variety of travel-related goods and services offered by sponsors who have partnered with participating bloggers.
Passports with Purpose was founded in 2008 by a group of four Seattle travel bloggers, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, Pam Mandel, and Beth Whitman, the bloggers behind Delicious Baby, WanderMom, Nerd’s Eye View and Wanderlust and Lipstick, respectively. In the first two initiatives, PwP raised money for Heifer International and built a school in Cambodia.
In past years, I've promoted the fundraiser and made small donations, but this is the first year I'll be hosting a prize on my blog. Knowing my propensity for procrastination, I approached the Authentic Seacoast Resorts in Nova Scotia in January 2010, immediately after last year's event, to secure a prize to offer in partnership with one of my favorite travel providers. I am delighted to announce their generous contribution: a two-night getaway at their luxury bed-and-breakfast property, the DesBarres Manor Inn on Chedabucto Bay.
The Authentic Seacoast getaway at DesBarres Manor Inn includes a deluxe Manor room, daily gourmet breakfast for two, afternoon tea, Taste of Nova Scotia guest reception, and all the luxury amenities this historic inn is renowned for. The total value of the getaway package is $400.
The historical propery was built in 1837 for J.W.F. DesBarres, a Supreme Court Justice. Now a 10-room country inn with the amenitiies of a boutique hotel, the DesBarres Manor Inn is one of Atlantic Canada's top culinary destinations. DesBarres Manor’s culinary program has been recognized with Nova Scotia’s 2008 Cuisine of the Year award, the Canadian Wine Annual's Where to Eat & Stay in Atlantic Canada, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2009 and 2010.
To bid on this luxury Nova Scotia getaway or another of the many prizes offered by PwP sponsors, visit the Passports with Purpose donation page. (Please note that the list of prizes on the donation page is still being compiled as I write this post.)
