Posts tagged Trip of a lifetime

Three days ago, I returned from my own “trip of a lifetime” of sorts. I just spent ten days in Israel on Taglit Birthright, a program for college students to explore the country and develop their own connections with Judaism. 

Visiting Israel exceeded all of my expectations. In addition to visiting the traditional sites such as the Kotel (Western Wall) and Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), I also had the opportunity to spend five days with a group of eight Israeli Soldiers. In Israeli, every teen has to serve in the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force, so soldiers are just typical college-age students; they love to watch TV, go on Facebook, and even know Gangam Style and Honey Boo Boo.

Beyond enjoying American entertainment, the soldiers showed all of us the importance of persevering through adversity. Even though they live their lives in constant danger, soldiers have an unwavering pride for their country; many would give up their lives at home at the drop of a hat to fight on the front lines. Instead of blaming others for their past woes, soldiers are always focused on the future, fighting for the day when the whole region is at peace. Not every soldier always likes what is going on in Israel but they sure as heck love their country. 

My trip to Israel is only one of many eye-opening experiences the Trip of a Lifetime staff has had. As a collective, we have been to six continents and over thirty countries including Scotland, Ghana, UAE, and Cambodia. Although we have reached the far corners of the globe, there is always something new to explore.

Experience wanderlust and expand your horizons while you still can.

- Stan

Me in Tel Aviv

This week, the Tri-State area was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy was like nothing I have ever experienced. Between the flooding, power outages, down trees, and property damage, it will take a long time for the city to recover. Life is slowly returning to normal but, remember that there are always people who are in need. One simple deed can make a meaningful difference.

As a nonprofit organization that focuses on city youth, it is more important than ever for Trip of a Lifetime to continue its mission. We need to empower students to become their own agents for change, using their trips to make a difference in the community. Each change agent makes a big difference, helping to repair our city, our country, and our world. Trip of a Lifetime’s trips make this possible.

Please stay safe, volunteer, and help our city become stronger after the storm!

- Stan

Hey everybody and Welcome to the Official Trip of Lifetime Blog!

My name is Alex Shropshire and I’m just beginning my internship at Trip of a Lifetime. I am a college sophomore at NYU Stern School of Business, undecided in concentration. My interests include professional and collegiate sports, film photography, almost all genres of music, and, of course, trying new food. Currently residing in Manhattan, I was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Having the opportunity to travel to 12 different countries on 4 different continents and living on both sides of the country has given me insight into how important it is to explore new places.

Through these trips, I have been taught more about the world and about myself than I could ever learn in a classroom. Travel is the single greatest learning experience a young adult can have to complement their development of an informed worldview and an open mind. My personal goal is to do what I can to pass along that learning experience to others.

Once I was fully informed about the work of Trip of a Lifetime, I became intrigued and knew I wanted to do what I could to help. I met Stan Rosenberg, Chairman of Trip of a Lifetime, my senior year of high school, became friends with him my freshmen year of college, traveled to Ghana with him that winter, and have built up a tremendous excitement to be working alongside him and the rest of the team this year.

I can’t wait continue sharing my stories and interests with you! Excited to be on board!

-Alex

This semester, I am taking a class called the Business of Nonprofit Management taught by Aria Finger, the COO of DoSomething.org. If you don’t know who she is or what the organization does, check out this great profile of her in Crain’s.

Although I have only had five sessions so far, I have already learned a wealth of information from the class. Below are ten of the many facts the class has taught me. Hopefully, these tidbits will interest, inspire, and teach you a few things. 

1) When a nonprofit organization merges with another nonprofit or for-profit organization, it must purchase the organization for $1

2) If you donate money to MercyCorps for disaster relief, it must use the money you donate for that disaster. Otherwise, it can assume legal liability.

3) According to Interbrand, The Habitat For Humanity Brand is worth $1.8 Billion Dollars (If I had to guess, the Trip of a Lifetime brand is probably worth in the low six figures)

4) KFC once funded Breast Cancer Awareness. (Wouldn’t anti-obesity be a better social platform for the fast food chain?)

5) New York State is considering capping non-profit CEO compensation at $140,000 a year.

6) Animal causes have the highest fan engagement on social media.

7) Only 501(c)4 organizations, not 501(c)3’s can carry out political lobbying.

8) Changing the Images on a website can improve click through rates by as much as 80%

9) Smartphone penetration in Africa is over 50%.

10) 98% of all registered nonprofit organizations have Facebook Pages. (For more awesome facts about nonprofits and social media, check out this infographic)

If you ever come across any interesting nonprofit facts, please share them with us on our Blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

- Stan