Personal Post: Trazzler Contest Update: Cote for my Entry on Guatemala and Help increase my chances to give $5000 to 5 Non-Profits

Hi everybody,

I need your help! I am ranked only 75 so far and I need to be in the top 10-- so I need a big push upward! As I mentioned, I've made it to the Semi-Finals for the Trazzler NYCGO Contest to win $10,000 as well as a 2-week writer-in-residence in NYC!

I am asking you to please "wishlist" my trip called "Lounging in the Turquoise Pools of Semuc Champey, Guatemala." Then please forward this to friends only that might be willing to do the same. The 10 trips most wishlisted by Sept. 14, move to the Final Round for judging.

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/semuc-champey-in-cob-n-el-progreso-dept-gt

If I win the grand prize I will donate a total of $5000--$1000 each to 5 non-profit organizations. I narrowed it down to these five, representing a range of causes. If I don’t win the big prize, I will still make a smaller donation to each of them.

1)Feeding America: September is National Hunger Action month. Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Received an ‘A’ rating on charitywatch. (On a side note, I discovered that Columbia Records announced that all U.S. royalties from Bob Dylan's album 'Christmas in the Heart' would be donated to Feeding America)

2)Planting Justice: An awesome local organization based in Oakland, CA dedicated to food justice, economic justice, and sustainable local food systems!

3)NISGUA: Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala: Links people in the U.S. with the Guatemalan people and their struggles for justice, human rights, environmental protection, and dignity. Thought this appropriate since my contest entry was about Guatemala. I spent 2 months there a couple years ago and came to love the people and the country. NISGUA is also Oakland-based but with an international reach, NISGUA conducts stellar campaigns.

4)Rainforest Action Network: Environmentalism with teeth. RAN campaigns to protect forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. Received an ‘A’ rating on charitywatch.

5)KPFA (94.1FM): I can’t forget our community-supported independent media and their remarkable programming!
Please take a minute and ‘wishlist’ my entry—we just might be able to help these organizations! Thanks so much!

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/semuc-champey-in-cob-n-el-progreso-dept-gt