THIS JUST IN…
One of my favorite charity organizations, SOLES4SOULS, has just announced that it is offering public opportunities to travel worldwide on their distribution trips. Now volunteers and supporters can experience first-hand the impact a pair of shoes can truly make. Very cool.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
From Huffington Post Impact:
An 8.8 earthquake hit just off the coast of Chile late Friday night, killing at least 122 people and creating tsunami warnings in more than 50 countries across the Pacific ocean. Thousands are believed to have been left homeless due to the widespread destruction of buildings.
As they did with Haiti, HuffPost Impact will be continually updating a list of ways you can help with reconstruction and aid efforts. While this will not be a humanitarian crisis the likes that we’ve seen in Haiti, great amounts of money will still be needed to rebuild damaged builds, roads, and return Chile back to normalcy.
For more information on how you can help relief efforts in Chile, read more on Huffington Post Impact.
Source: CauseCast.org
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Here’s a travel tip for those of you who’d like to pack a little karma on your next adventure…
Let’s say you’ve decided to go trekking in Timbuktu, touring the wine country in South Africa, or celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Great! Now, before you go, leave a little room in your rucksack (or designer suitcase…if that’s more your style) and visit StuffYourRucksack.com. The site lists crucial items (e.g. boy’s clothing for a youth organization in Rawanda) needed by non-profits across the globe. Simply enter your destination in the search engine, then pick up a few things to deliver in person.
“How many times have you been travelling and visited a school or community or local charity that you would love to help? The school needs books, or a map or pencils; an orphanage needs children’s clothes or toys. All things that, if only you’d known, you could’ve stuffed in your rucksack. But once you get home you forget, or you’ve lost the address, or worry that whatever you send will be stolen before it even gets there…” That’s why we’ve set up StuffYourRucksack.com - Kate Humble.
Hummm? With the name Humble, it sounds like there’s more than a little karma behind Kate’s passion. Thank you Kate!
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Fairmont kicks off New Year by inviting guests to join in supporting Soles4Souls, with special incentive from adidas
They say all good “soles” go to heaven, and now shoes from the Fairmont Fit program will get a second life with Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that collects gently used athletic shoes for redistribution to those in need. Starting this fall, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will donate footwear from Fairmont Fit, a program which offers members of Fairmont President’s Club, the brand’s exclusive guest recognition program, access to adidas athletic apparel for use during their stay. To launch this new partnership, Fairmont is providing a little incentive to begin the New Year on the right foot and stick with those resolutions to get in shape. Guests and community members are invited to drop off gently used athletic shoes at Fairmont locations across North America from Monday, January 19 to Friday, January 23, 2009, and the Fairmont team will do the rest. In recognition of this support, Fairmont Fit partner adidas will offer an exclusive discount card for 15% off adidas merchandise, to be used online at http://www.shopadidas.com or http://www.shopadidas.ca.
Soles4Souls is an international organization that facilitates the donation and redistribution of shoes to people in need in over 50 countries. Donations from individuals, companies and other organizations help Soles4Souls fulfill its mission to impact lives with the gift of shoes. This small act helps provide a basic need; quality shoes help protect feet from cuts, scrapes and contaminants that can lead to potentially serious healthcare issues. Started in 2004 in response to the Tsunami disaster, Soles4Souls has grown rapidly, resulting in over three million pairs of shoes being given away to date.
Fairmont Fit, which has proven extremely popular in its first year of operation in North American hotels, will be expanding to all international locations later this year. Fairmont President’s Club members can order adidas shorts, t-shirts and athletic shoes, all delivered to their room, for use during their stay.* As shoes slowly become worn in, and as seasonal changes of styles are provided by adidas, hotels are left with items that are suitable for donating. Fairmont, long a leader in environmental stewardship and responsible tourism, continually seeks ways to minimize the footprint of its hotels. In support of these efforts, Fairmont will donate footwear to Soles4Souls, and hotels will also donate the gently used apparel to local charities.
“We’re proud to support Soles4Souls’ efforts. The partnership makes sense; with locations around the world, we can provide sizable quantities of a much needed item, but we also mitigate our impact on the planet,” noted Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Vice President Brand Marketing and Communications.
“We are very pleased that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and adidas have joined forces with Soles4Souls to make a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people in need,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. “This program will not only benefit victims of natural disasters and those living in extreme poverty, but it will help reduce the vast number of shoes that end up in our landfills,” he said.
Fairmont President’s Club is the hotel company’s premier guest recognition program, providing frequent guests with certain benefits and privileges during their stay. Membership is complimentary and guests can enroll online at http://www.fairmont.com, by calling 1-800-663-7575 or at any Fairmont location worldwide.
*The Fairmont Fit program is complimentary for Premier and Platinum level members of Fairmont President’s Club. A $10 fee per stay will apply for Club level members, for unlimited use of apparel during their stay.
About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.3 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in more than 60 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.
About adidas
adidas is a global designer, developer and marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the leading sports brand in the world. Brand adidas is part of the adidas Group, a corporation that also includes Reebok, TaylorMade and Rockport. Some of the players in adidas’ roster of athletes include: Kevin Garnett, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Tyson Gay, Haile Gebrselassie, Yelena Isenbeya, Reggie Bush, Tim Duncan, Ryan Howard and David Beckham.
About Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels, which includes iconic landmarks like the Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Switzerland and New York’s The Plaza. Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont’s portfolio includes 56 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Anguilla.
Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with 90 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit http://www.fairmont.com
Source: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".