Passports with Purpose 2012: An Evening at The Triple Door for Water.org

What with all the [fill in the excuse blank here] going on, I didn’t make the time to procure a prize for this year’s Passports with Purpose fundraiser. Luckily for bloggers like me, full of more good intentions than time management skills, there are businesses that want to donate prizes but who aren’t paired up with a blogger – so the Passports with Purpose gals, acting as match-makers, have set me up with a prize to host for this year’s efforts!

(Let this be a lesson to you, fellow bloggers, that you really can participate next year even if you don’t have a BFF who owns a resort in Tahiti.)

Before I get to my prize details, however, let me tell you a bit about Passports with Purpose and this year’s beneficiary.

What is Passports with Purpose?

Passports with Purpose began in 2008 as a dream discussed over cupcakes (as all good dreams are), and before the year was out the co-founders had hosted their first fundraiser. That first year, Passports with Purpose raised $7400 for Heifer International. Now in its 5th year, Passports with Purpose aims to raise $100,000 for Water.org to build wells in rural Haiti.

How do they do it? And how do they grow so much each year? They couldn’t do it without the help of the ever-increasing number of travel bloggers who procure prizes, write blog posts, and promote Passports with Purpose on social media. It’s a testament to how strong the travel blogging community is when we focus on a goal, and I’m proud to have been involved in one way or another since the very first year.

Here are some more details about Passports with Purpose:

• Passports with Purpose is a travel blogging fundraiser that raises money for charitable organizations
• Passports with Purpose is in its fifth year – in 2008, they raised $7400 for Heifer International; in 2009, they raised $30,000 for American Assistance for Cambodia to build a school in Cambodia; in 2010, they raised $60,000 for Land for Tillers Freedom to build a village in India; in 2011, they raised $90,000 for Room to Read to build two libraries in Zambia; in 2012 the goal is to raise $100,000 for Water.org to build two community wells in rural Haiti (learn more about the work Passports with Purpose does here)
• People donate increments of $10 (tax deductible) to the charitable organization Passports with Purpose is working with in a given year, & in return they get an entry toward the prize of their choice (procured by travel bloggers)
• People can donate as much as they like, and for each $10 donation they get another entry toward a prize
• Winners are selected randomly from all the entries for each prize (this year names will be drawn on December 11)

My 2012 Prize Details: An Evening for Two at The Triple Door

Once upon a time, I lived outside Seattle and sang in a band. Those days are long gone, but my love for music remains – so I’m happy that my prize this year is a gift card for The Triple Door, one of Seattle’s top live music venues.

The Triple Door, located in the historic 1926 Mann Building in downtown Seattle, combines world-class entertainment with the award-winning food and wine of Wild Ginger. The Mainstage Theater features touring national acts and the Musicquarium lounge, named for its stunning 1,900 gallon freshwater aquarium, pairs the sounds of up-and-coming artists from around the country with one of the city’s most popular happy hours.

Some choice quotes about The Triple Door:

• The Triple Door is “the swankiest sit-down live music venue in Seattle.” – The Stranger
• “Hearing an instrument as lush as the viola in a room like the Triple Door is about as nourishing a listening experience I can imagine.” – Seattle Weekly
• “Not just a venue coming into its own but a venue boldly doing its own thing.” – The Seattle Times

I haven’t been to The Triple Door myself, but I can tell you that the name pops up with some regularity in the Twitter feeds of my Seattle pals, and I trust their taste. (I mean, they’re friends with me, after all.) You don’t have to trust my friends, though – all you need to do is read The Triple Door’s Yelp reviews or peek at the awards they’ve won to know this prize affords you an evening of great entertainment and tasty food.

It’s also worth noting that The Triple Door has been involved with several local fundraisers in the past, so working with Passports with Purpose fits in nicely with the way they do things anyway. And that’s the sort of thing that warms your heart even before you walk in the door, methinks.

Some additional newsy bits from the fine folks at The Triple Door:

• Cortney Lease, Wine Director of Wild Ginger and The Triple Door, recently passed the advanced sommelier exam. She is one of a select few to pass this rigorous exam.
• Wild Ginger’s wine list is one of just two in the city of Seattle to receive the distinctive Grand Award from Wine Spectator (2008-2012).
• This December, don’t moss the popular “Land of the Sweets, The Burlesque Nutcracker,” a modern, entertaining take on the holiday tradition, this bawdy ballet spectacle unites burlesque entertainment with the well-known holiday story, The Nutcracker.

Sounds great – what can I win?

• What’s the prize? A gift card valued at $150 for The Triple Door in Seattle, which can be redeemed for tickets/food/non-alcoholic beverages.
• Is anything excluded? Yes; the gift card can’t be redeemed toward alcoholic beverages or gratuity.
• How do I know if there’s an event coming up that I’d like to see? That’s an easy one – check out The Triple Door’s website or call 206.838.4333 to find out what’s on the calendar that might make you want this prize even more. Keep in mind, though, that you can use the gift card toward food at the restaurant even if there’s not a show going on.

How can I enter to win?

Head straight for the catalog of prizes on Passports with Purpose’s website. There, you can enter to win as many prizes as you like for a donation of $10 for each entry. You’ll find my prize, “An Evening for Two at The Triple Door,” along with all the other awesome prizes. I’m speaking from experience when I say it’s like eating potato chips – it’s nigh unto impossible to just pick one.

Donations for prize entries will be accepted through 11:59pm (EST) on December 11, and then winners will be notified on December 18. Note that you can continue to donate after December 11, you just won’t get any additional prize entries.

Thank you to the 2012 Passports with Purpose sponsors!

I’m thrilled to play whatever small role I can each year to move Passports with Purpose closer to its goal, and I’m really happy that businesses like the ones listed below have gotten on board to help out, too. (Yes, the travel blogger conference for whom I am the community manager is a Silver sponsor – and yes, that makes me quite pleaesd.)

• Platinum: Expedia
• Gold: TripIt
• Silver: TBEX
• Bronze: HomeAway. TravellersPoint, HostelBookers, Go with Oh

Thanks also to the fine folks at The Triple Door for contributing a prize to the 2012 Passports with Purpose fundraiser!

all photos courtesy of The Triple Door