Last Updated on November 30, 2011 by Nancie

Passports With Purpose annual fundraiser kicks off today. The brains and hearts behind this annual event are Seattle area travel bloggers Michelle Duffy, Debbie Dubrow, Pam Mandel and Beth Whitman. Bloggers in the travel community support people and communities in the developing world who need our assistance. Donations, totaling $65,000, raised in last years fundraiser were used to build a village in India. Take a look.

Through this blog, Budget Travelers Sandbox, I am thrilled to be, once again, a sponsor and participant in the 2011 fundraiser. This year Passports with Purpose will build two libraries in Zambia. The goal is to raise $80,000.

Here’s how it works. BTS is  donating Amazon’s best selling Kindle E-Book reader, latest generation with built-in Wi-Fi. All of the prizes are listed over at the Passport With Purpose raffle site. Donate $10.00 and you’ll receive a virtual raffle ticket. You can use your ticket to try and win any of the awesome prizes that have been donated.

You can find out more about the reader over at Amazon. This prize will ship anywhere that Amazon allows. Any customs or duty charges will be the sole responsibility of the winner.

Books have been a huge part of my life both personally and professionally, so donating a Kindle to this cause is a no-brainer for me. I remember as a kid reading Nancy Drew mysteries. The only problem was I would have nightmares about Nancy’s latest adventures, and wake up screaming in the middle of the night. My mother eventually had to ban Ms. Drew from my bedroom. As a teenager I turned to Russian classics like Crime and Punishment and Anna Karina. I wonder how I made my way through them! My first part-time job at university was in a library at Dalhousie University. Housed in an old Victorian House, I’m sure it was the only library in town with a bath tub! I’ve spent my careers surrounded by books, including selling law and tax books to law firms and libraries in Canada, and now teaching English at a university here in Korea.

I can remember how excited I was when the Kindle was first introduced. I wanted one that very day. Sadly, Amazon did not ship internationally, so I had to wait and wait and wait. I can remember the excitement of placing the order and then arrival day. It was love at first sight.

My Kindle has traveled with me to more than a half dozen countries, and is the first thing to go in my bag when I’m packing for a trip. She’s my best pal on those long layovers, including my 32 hour long (torturous) adventure to Nova Scotia this past summer. I owe her my sanity!  She is the perfect companion. I love love love my Kindle!

Good luck, and I hope that whoever wins will email me sometime and let me know how much you love your Kindle. Remember, your generosity will give kids in Zambia the priceless opportunity to discover the magical world of reading.