The Season for Giving

Thanksgiving
For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Giving Thanks

I think Emerson had it right, even back then. This time of year is a time of reflection, of stepping back and looking at where we are, what we've accomplished, and where we go next. This year has been particularly tough for many people. So many people have struggled without jobs, resources, health care, and so on.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it gives us a chance to be thankful for all the good things we have in our lives and the energy, skills, and experiences that we have been given to tackle our challenges.

I find myself thinking about one of the best things we do have: each other. Together we can learn from each other, and together we can make a difference.

Habitat for Humanity

I recently had the honor of helping to build a home with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The build at 1600 E. Boone in north Spokane will produce a five-plex and two duplexes. As many of you know, eligible Habitat families invest 500 hours of their own labor in building their homes and others. Once finished, the homes are sold to partner families at cost, with a 0% mortgage held by Habitat-Spokane.

I'm pleased to say that 70 of our wonderful employees committed their time and energy to help the Habitat families construct the new homes. It was nothing short of impressive. It was the first time I had the opportunity to participate in one of these projects, and I am honored and humbled to have helped! I'm thankful to have met these amazing families and to work side by side with them.

Community Service

Community service is an important component of our programs, and I'm happy to be able to make a difference at home in Spokane as well as elsewhere. In fact, just last month we announced our plans to surpass the 140,000 community service hours programs logged for the 2010 travel year, and we've strengthened the community service portion of our programs to extend opportunities to give back to communities both domestically and internationally. I truly believe that when we gain exposure to other people, places, and life experiences, we begin to understand each other better, as well as ourselves.

We will work with Habitat for Humanity on a large build program in New Orleans for the 2010 summer program "Leadership Summit: Remembering Hurricane Katrina" to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the devastation and to help rebuild the city. This exciting new program features talks from Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning - both New Orleans natives. Additional speakers include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and award-winning film director Spike Lee, who directed the Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

We all want the best for our young people, and with today's competitive, globalized world, the greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of learning and experience. Let's help them see the world and become a more active member of it.

Wishing you happy travels,

Jeff Thomas

CEO, People to People Ambassador Programs