With the holidays rapidly approaching it goes without saying that it’s the perfect time to put aside our own families’ wish lists to focus some of our attention toward the wishes and needs of others.  I am so happy to be joining the efforts of Passports with Purpose this holiday season for what will hopefully become the first of many years to come.  And I’m delighted that Kids Unplugged has received a fabulous donation from the Bolton Valley Ski Resort in the Green Mountains of Vermont for the 2014 fundraising campaign.

What is Passports with Purpose?

Founded in 2008 by Debbie Dubrow, Pam Mandel, Beth Whitman and Michelle Duffy as a way to build community among travel bloggers and to give back to the places we visit, Passports with Purpose has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past five years to support the work of organizations that include Heifer International, Water dot org, buildOn, Room to Read, and American Assistance for Cambodia.  Funds have gone toward everything from providing clean, safe water, to creating literacy programs, constructing schools and libraries and even building entire village in India.  The 2014 recipient is Sustainable Harvest International, an organization whose mission it is to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to preserve our planet’s tropical forests while overcoming poverty.

The 2014 Beneficiary – Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)

Malnutrition and insufficient income to meet basic needs are very real threats for millions of families in Central America. Meals often consist of only basic grains; and children suffer without the nutrients vital to good health and growth. In the villages where SHI works in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, over 75% of families have never had access to garden vegetables prior to SHI working with them. Items like tomatoes and carrots were considered items that only wealthy people can afford.

Sustainable Harvest International is committed to combating malnutrition by teaching families in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama how to plant organic vegetable gardens and fruit trees and build fishponds and chicken coops, while protecting the environment.

The Prize

Kids Unplugged is thrilled to be partnering with Bolton Valley Ski Resort in beautiful Vermont for the 2014 Passports with Purpose fundraiser.  Bolton Valley has generously donated a 2 night family ski and stay package for 4 people for any midweek, non-holiday period during the 2014-15 ski season.  The package includes slopeside accommodations at the Inn at Bolton Valley, daily lift tickets, continental breakfast, and use of the Bolton Valley Sports Center.

If you’ve never skied Bolton Valley, you’re in for a treat.  Bolton is one of Vermont’s great family-friendly ski resorts where folks just park their cars and forget about them during their stay–everything is right there.  Bolton Valley is situated on 5,000 acres and boasts one of the highest elevations of any other Vermont resort, which means more fresh powder to enjoy.  Bolton Valley is also the only resort in Vermont to offer night skiing with 10 trails open to ski under the lights from Wednesday through Saturday each week.

The package must be used during the 2014-15 ski season.  Certificates and letter to redeem the ski and stay package will be mailed to the winning bidder by Kids Unplugged.

How to Donate & Bid on Prizes

Each $10 donation that you make entitles you one chance to win the prize of your choice.  So if there’s a prize that strikes your fancy (like a 2 night ski and stay package at Bolton Valley Ski Resort, perhaps) just make a $10 donation and you will have made a bid.  But why stop there?  Go ahead and donate $100 for 10 chances to win that one fantastic travel prize.  Or, because the fabulous travel blogging community has amassed such an amazing catalog of prizes for this year’s auction, choose several prizes on which place your bids.  Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play.  And the bonus with Passports with Purpose is that the money you donate is going to help some truly deserving families improve their lives for years to come.

Click HERE to Donate NOW!

This year’s fundraiser kicks off tonight, December 1st, and will run for two weeks from until 11:59 p.m. on December 17th.  Remember, the Kids Unplugged Bolton Valley stay and ski package is only one of a LONG list of truly fabulous travel prizes on the 2014 Passports with Purpose auction block.  Go ahead right now and check out this year’s prize catalog and peruse all of the donations procured by the amazing travel bloggers participating in the 2014 campaign.

What are you waiting for?

Happiest holidays!