Travel Writer Launches The Global Citizen Project on KickStarter.com
In an effort to connect and contribute, a travel writer plans to swap her BlackBerry for a backpack and take a sabbatical volunteering with 12 community projects in 12 countries over 12 months.
Online, November 29, 2009 (Newswire.com) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Charyn Pfeuffer
Telephone: (206) 518-2728
Email: [email protected]
The Global Citizen Project
In an attempt to connect and contribute, it is professional food and travel journalist, Charyn Pfeuffer's plan to swap her BlackBerry for a backpack and take a one-year sabbatical to volunteer around the world as part of what she's calling, "The Global Citizen Project." It's impossible to save the world with bite sized stints of service, but Pfeuffer hopes to promote responsible travel and volunteer tourism by volunteering with 12 community projects in 12 countries over 12 months.
Nice round dates, numbers and new years seemed like a good time for introspection: January 2010 marks the 12-year anniversary of her career as a freelance journalist. More than 150 flights annually have taken its toll on Pfeuffer and she's on the road to writer burnout. 2010 also marks the 20th anniversary of her mother's death to lung cancer. In 1990, exactly two weeks before her mother's passing, she disclosed a very short list of end-of-life regrets, including: "I never went to Europe." Her words, now Pfeuffer's raison d'être, have inspired her to live life fully, spontaneously and with purpose.
Pfeuffer launched The Global Citizen Project on Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for creative endeavors, and raised $625 towards her estimated budget of $20,000 within hours. She has until February 22, 2010 to reach her goal. Her "wish list" itinerary of volunteer projects includes:
• Eco-tourism/hospitality initiatives in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
• Reef conservation in Bonaire, Netherland Antilles
• Community healthcare in Honduras
• Hunger relief in Nicaragua
Her efforts are focused on English and Spanish-speaking countries, since she has beginner Spanish skills and Rosetta Stone (Latin America Spanish) Levels 1 and 2. Pfeuffer shoots to embark on this adventure in June 2010 and will commit a minimum of two weeks of volunteer service (not including travel time) per month. She will share her experiences through:
• Her blog, The Global Citizen Project at http://globalcitizenproject.blogpost.com
• Updates on Kickstarter.com
• Social media networks
Facebook: Charyn Pfeuffer
Twitter: @global_gourmet
• A book (written at the conclusion of the project)
• Focused editorial efforts on responsible travel and volunteer tourism
About Charyn Pfeuffer: Pfeuffer has written about culinary, travel and lifestyle topics for more than a decade. She's contributed to more than 80 publications including: San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, TravelChannel.com, Sunset, Fodor's, DailyCandy.com, Relish, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Conde Nast Digital, and Imbibe. She calls Seattle, WA home.
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Tags: kickstarter, travel, volunteer, writer
