Thursday was Thanksgiving, the day after was Black Friday and yesterday was Cyber Monday. Now, we have Giving Tuesday, which is a global day dedicated to giving back. I love this idea – it’s time we all put more emphasis on giving thanks and giving to others. Charities, families, businesses, community centers and students around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. Here are some of my favorite charities, along with information on their #GivingTuesday campaigns.
Airline Ambassadors #GivingTuesday Campaign
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) helps orphans and vulnerable children worldwide by leveraging connections with the airline industry towards humanitarian service. They are the only charity of the overall airline industry. They make dramatic differences in the lives of children in the world’s poorest countries and helps provide awareness of human trafficking through education and training. Financial support has helped AAI by:
• Providing volunteer escorts for children coming to the United States for medical care that their families could not afford or is not available in their home countries,
• Hand-delivering thousands of pounds of humanitarian aid to children in orphanages, clinics and remote communities,
• Providing 25 training programs to 2,000 individuals at airports across the U.S. as well as in Kiev, Ukraine, the first training of its kind in Europe and
• Advocating before the U.S. Congress and providing education and training around the world on child protection and human trafficking awareness.
Make-A-Wish Foundation
75% of all wishes fulfilled by Make-A-Wish involve travel. Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the United States and its territories, on average, every 38 minutes. They believe that a wish experience can be a game-changer. Donate your airline miles or cash and make a wish come true for a seriously ill child. With so many wishes including travel, your gift of miles will go a long way. Plus donated miles never expire. Hat tip to one of my favorite travel apps, TripIt, for working with them and spreading the word about how we all can help.
Passports With Purpose
Passports with Purpose runs through December 17 at PassportsWithPurpose. Below is a sample list of some of the prizes people can win with a $10 donation. The beneficiary is Sustainable Harvest International, where each $5000 raised helps a family in Honduras create a sustainable farm that will provide them with a healthy diet, a meaningful livelihood and income to pay for school, healthcare and other basic needs.
• Two-night stay for two at Stowe Mountain Lodge from Mother of All Trips
• Urban adventure food tour with Intrepid Travel from Nomadic Matt
• Two-night stay at Nickelodeon Suites Resort from Solo Mom Takes Flight
• $1000 towards a HomeAway stay from Mom it Forward
• Set of Helly Hansen Duffel Bags from Kids on a Plane
• ASUS MeMo pad 8 from My Itchy Travel Feet
• WD My Passport Ultra 2TB Portal from Travel Addicts
• Tom Bihn Synapse 25 Black Dyneema/Iberian from The Talking Suitcase
• eBags EXO 2.0 Hardside Spinner Carry-on from The Vacation Gals
• Two-night stay at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale from What a Trip
• Four-day guided backpacking trip at the Grand Canyon with The Wildland Trekking Company from Katie Aune
• One year business photo hosting account on Smugmug from Everything Everywhere
• €250 voucher for a GowithOh Apartment in Venice from The Wanderfull Traveler
These are only three of the charities that can make a huge difference. What’s your favorite #GivingTuesday charity?
Image courtesy of PassportsWithPurpose
So glad to hear you support Passports with Purpose! There are actual 46 prizes total although that’d be too much to add to your list, we’ve got a good start going!