Hey campers!

In addition to our Your Skills for Animals Contest, there’s another fabulous contest going on over at the Earth Balance site, MadeJustRight.com. You animal & veggie lovers are a lucky bunch, everyone wants to give you free stuff!

Made Just Right™ is an amazing website for natural food lovers to share their recipes, stories and lifestyle tips. If you’re as passionate about the quality and source of your food as you are about cooking it, head on over to their website and forum and join the fun! As you know, at YTT we love our veggies so we’ve been waiting for a site like this for awhile. Just check out their recipe pageand you’ll see one of the many reasons we love it so much!

Earth Balance and Made Just Right™ are celebrating your healthy lifestyle and the arrival of spring with their SPRING TO LIFE Recipe Contest. All you have to do is share your healthy recipes for a chance to win some exciting prizes!

The grand prize winner will receive a trip for 2 to New York City, which includes airfare, hotel, a day at the spa and dinner at the city’s hottest vegan restaurant, Candle 79! Candle 79 will also feature the winning recipe on its menu for one night – amazing! In addition, 8 winners will receive a year’s supply of Earth Balance® products and a Forks Over Knives DVD and t-shirt!

Your recipe(s) should be your own, contain one or more Earth Balance® products (buttery spreads, nut butters or soy milks) and feature one or more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts or seeds.

They will evaluate recipes based on appeal (50%), ease of preparation (25%), and creativity (25%). You can submit as many recipes as you like until May 8th, in the following remaining categories:

April 25 – May 1: Entrees
May 2 – 8: Desserts

WEEKLY PRIZES – Made Just Right™ will select 2 recipes from each category. Each winner will receive:
•    A 1 year supply of Earth Balance® products.
•    A t-shirt and DVD of the award-winning documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’.

One of the winners will be selected as the GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

GRAND PRIZE – Made Just Right™ will select one lucky winner to receive a trip for 2 to New York City. The grand prize includes:
•    Roundtrip airfare for 2 to New York City.
•    A 2-night stay at a boutique New York City hotel.
•    A day for 2 at the Secret Garden Organic Spa.
•    Dinner at Candle 79 and the winning recipe featured on the restaurant’s menu for one night.

Made Just Right will announce the weekly winners and the grand prize winner the week of May 9, 2011! For complete contest rules, visit RECIPE CONTEST RULES. For specific questions about how to upload your recipe, visit the Made Just Right FAQ.

So head on over to the Made Just Right Spring to Life Recipe Contest and enter your delicious recipes!

And don’t forget, you only have until this Friday to get your contest entries in for our Your Skills for Animals Contest!

Have fun everyone!

What are your specific skills, interests and talents & how do you put them to work to benefit animals?

• Are you someone who created a way to teach children about being kind to animals?
• Are you someone who loves to write so you started a blog to address animal welfare issues?
• Do you love to knit so you knit blankets for dogs in dog shelters?
• Are you an accountant or a lawyer who does pro bono work for animal charities?
• Are you skilled at marketing so you work in the marketing department of an animal friendly company?
• Do you love taking pictures of animals or painting animal portraits?

How are you taking the specific skills that make you YOU and using them to help animals?

Each of you has things you’re innately good at. Anything from drawing, to caretaking, to teaching, to rehabilitating,to negotiating, to writing, to crunching numbers, to photography, to organizing, to marketing, to singing, to fashion, to dancing, to cooking, to cleaning, etc.! Perhaps your skill is that you have a lot of patience which helps you handle difficult animals who come into the shelter you volunteer at. Perhaps you’re extremely efficient which helps you get sanctuary chores done. Perhaps you’re really good at nursing sick animals back to health.

No skill is too small! This contest is for the average everyday hero who helps animals doing tasks both big and small! You deserved to be thanked for all that you do.

Who Can Enter: EVERYONE. Teachers, volunteers, bloggers, painters, designers, dancers, musicians, lawyers, graffiti artists, hobbyists, students, accountants, etc.! Anyone who does something good for animals using a specific skill of theirs!

You can submit an essay or video and the top submissions will be judged by our celebrity guest judges! See rules below.

Your submission should answer the following questions:

1. What are your unique skills/talents/interests? Explain them.
2. How exactly are you making use of your skills/talents/interests to spread a message of compassion for animals?
3. What kind of results have you achieved or do you hope to one day achieve?

Purpose: By showing how you use your specific skills to benefit animals you will encourage others to do the same and help spread a message of compassion (& excitement!) for animals. Plus you get to show off the work you do and let yourself shine! Just by participating you’re helping to celebrate animals with love and enthusiasm!

PRIZES - Over $3,500 in value!!

First Place Prizes:

1. $1,500 Off Your Next Vacation Booked through Your Time Travels (YTT). YTT is a travel company for animal lovers. Whether you want to volunteer abroad, go on safari, enjoy vegan resorts, or travel with your own pets, YTT can get you there. We currently offer trips to Costa Rica, Argentina, Thailand, Tanzania, and St. Martin. We will plan every last detail for you customized according to your needs and schedule! This credit can be applied toward your flights and/or hotel costs. You may use it whenever you’re ready for your next vacation (within 2 years from today)! www.yourtimetravels.com

2. Vegan Cooking Lesson with Verite Catering ($400 value).Private 2.5 hour vegan cooking lesson for two in New York with two amazing vegan chefs from the hottest new vegan catering company in the U.S., Verite Catering! If you can’t make it to New York, the cooking lesson can be done virtually.

3.Two One on One Life Coaching Sessions ($200 value).Life coaching helps you succeed at whatever endeavors you partake in. It can help you further your goals and resolve the pesky obstacles that hold you back from achieving your dreams. If those dreams are to help animals, even better!

• One 45 minute session with life coach Genna McWhinnie ($100 value) – High Priestess of Planning. Mistress of Momentum. Incendiary Coach. Genna is a vegan life coach.
• One 45 minute session with life coach Sally Hope ($100 value) – Inspiring You in Life, Love, Business and Other Things That Rock. Sally is a rock star life coach (literally, she used to be a rock star).

4. One on One Health and Wellness Counseling Session ($100 value).You can’t achieve your goals if you’re not healthy! Nutritional coach Heather Pierce Giannone is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC and she is certified as a Holistic Health Coach by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She will help you analyze your individual needs to get you on a healthier, more energetic and focus-minded path!

5.VegNews Gift Pack ($50 value).This gift pack features their signature oversized tote bag, 6 jumbo vegan cookies, an organic cotton t-shirt, the current edition of VegNews, and a one-year subscription to the magazine!

Second Place Prizes:

1. Trip to a Farm Sanctuary ($200 value).Enjoy 2 nights at a hotel or bed and breakfast near a farm sanctuary of your choice (maximum cost of $100 per night).

2. Vegan Cooking Lessons with Verite Catering ($400 value). See description above.

3. One Night’s Stay at Any Kimpton Hotel.Kimpton Hotels are the most pet friendly hotels in the United States. Born of a love and respect for all living creatures, their hosPETality program goes far beyond allowing your pet to stay at their hotel; they include fun amenities and services to ensure that their pet guests have an incredible journey. Any number of pets are welcome (zero fees) regardless of size, weight, kind, or breed. Kimpton Hotels are located in over 20 cities!

4. Two One on One Life Coaching Sessions ($200 value). See above description.

5.One on One Health and Wellness Counseling Session ($100 value). See above description.

Third Place Prizes:

1. $300 Discount Off Your Next Your Time Travels Trip Abroad (minimum trip cost of $1,000, not including flights).

2.Two One on One Life Coaching Sessions ($200 value). See above description.

3. One on One Health and Wellness Counseling Session ($100 value).See above description.

JUDGES

I’m honored by the judges who have agreed to participate in this contest. These judges hardly need any introduction. They are tireless advocates for compassionate living and have graciously agreed to lend a helping hand in picking the winners from the top contestants. They will help determine which contestants are doing the best job at putting their unique skills to work for animals! The judges are as follows:

1. Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States of America.

Wayne Pacelle is president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. Wayne took office on June 1, 2004 after serving for nearly 10 years as the organization’s chief lobbyist and spokesperson. During his tenure as HSUS president and CEO, Wayne has spurred major growth for the organization which is now the nation’s largest animal protection organization with 11 million members and constituents, an annual revenue of $135 million, and assets of more than $200 million. The organization is the 155th largest charity in the United States. Wayne has played a central role in more than 25 successful statewide ballot measure campaigns, has led successful campaigns to defeat ballot measures hostile to animal protection, has worked for the passage of hundreds of new state laws, and has helped to pass more than 25 federal statutes to protect animals. Wayne’s work has been featured in thousands of newspapers and magazines across the country. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on almost all major network television programs – including “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show,” “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” “Larry King Live,” “Good Morning America,” and ABC’s “Primetime Live.”  He is author of the new book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them.

2. Kris Carr, New York Times best-selling author, top motivational speaker, and wellness coach.

Kris is the subject of the inspirational documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, which she wrote and directed for TLC, and the author of the award-winning Crazy Sexy Cancer book series. Kris’ third book, Crazy Sexy Diet is the ultimate diet and lifestyle game plan for wellness warriors seeking peak health, spiritual wealth and happiness. Carr regularly lectures at medical schools, hospitals, wellness centers, and universities such as Harvard. She is a Contributing Editor for Natural Health Magazine and writes for many online publications including Psychology Today and The Huffington Post. Television appearances: The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Early Show, Today Show, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Check out her website, crazysexylife.com for daily tips, articles and inspiration. Make juice not war!

Photo by Derek Goodwin for Farm Sanctuary

3. Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary, America’s leading farm animal protection organization.

Genegrew up in Hollywood, California and worked in commercials for McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. He adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1985, and today, he campaigns to raise awareness about the negative consequences of industrialized factory farming and our cheap food system. After volunteering and working with various environmental and human rights causes, Gene turned his attention to animal agriculture. He has conducted hundreds of visits to farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses to document conditions, and his photos and videos, exposing factory farming cruelty, have been aired nationally and internationally, educating millions. He has testified in court and before local, state and federal legislative bodies, and has initiated groundbreaking legal enforcement and legislative action to raise awareness and prevent factory farming abuses. He played a significant role in passing the first U.S. laws to prohibit cruel farming systems, including the Florida ban on gestation crates, the Arizona ban on veal and gestation crates, and the California ban on foie gras. His efforts have been covered by leading news organizations, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. His book, entitled Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, was published by Touchstone (a division of Simon and Schuster) in March 2008 and has become a national best-seller.

4.Colleen Holland, Associate Publisher of VegNews.

Passionate about publishing and business, Associate Publisher Colleen Holland is the co-creator of VegNews. From their humble beginnings in 2000, she and Joseph Connelly grew the publication from a 28-page newspaper tabloid to an award-winning, full-color glossy magazine. A graduate of UCLA and the Natural Gourmet Institute, her background in food, marketing, and brand-building has helped to create a savvy, internationally renowned media company. Colleen has traveled around the world and enjoys yoga, cooking, urban hikes, and dining out at veg restaurants.

5. Leanne Hilgart, founder of Vaute Couture.

Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart is founder & creative director of Vaute Couture, the first apparel line to develop a winter proof dress coat that’s also vegan! She spent 8 months on fabric research and quit her full ride MBA and international modeling contracts to start-up her company. Since launching in 2009, Vaute Couture has been named Company of the Year by VegNews Magazine, Best Fashion Company by Peta2, Awarded the Apex Award in Design by Polartec, Named 1 of 22 Best New Coats by Chicago Magazine, featured in Marie Claire Magazine, FOX TV’s BONES, and on the red carpet. Celebrity fans include Alicia Silverstone, Emily & Zooey Deschanel, Ginnifer Goodwin, the Breakfast Club’s Ally Sheedy and Twilight’s BooBoo Stewart. TeenVogue said, “We can’t think of a better way to keep warm this winter.” Oprah.com used Vaute Couture to spread awareness on animal fabrics and issues saying, “Vaute Couture proves that compassionate style can be cute, chic, and sexy,” and Alicia Silverstone tells her fans, “I love the styles, I love even more what this company stands for, Leanne is so sweet.” Leanne has been on the cover of VegNews Magazine as 1 of 8 Brilliant Eco Entrepreneurs, named 1 of 40 Redefining Green by Grist.org, & 1 of 7 Best New Green Designers by Ecouterre. Her fabrics are not only vegan but also cutting edge closed loop recycled high technology fabrics that are exceptionally warm and light and her apparel is constructed locally and ethically in NYC.

6. Jasmin Singer, co-founder and executive director of Our Hen House.

Our Hen House is a multimedia hive of opportunities to change the world for animals. With her partner, animal rights law professor Mariann Sullivan, Jasmin hosts a weekly podcast, with recent guests including Peter Singer and Jane Velez-Mitchell. With her video production unit, Jasmin makes videos for the Our Hen House series, The Gay Animal and Art of the Animal. From 2007-2010, Jasmin was the campaigns manager for Farm Sanctuary. She is currently a contributing writer for VegNews Magazine, as well as a host of VegNews TV. Jasmin was also named by VegNews as one of twenty stand-out stars of the animal rights movement. Her articles have also been seen in Satya Magazine and Heeb Magazine. Jasmin’s activist workshops have been presented at universities and law schools throughout the country, as well as conferences such as Taking Action for Animals, Farm Sanctuary’s Hoe Down, Let Live Northwest Animal Rights Conference, the Institute for Critical Animal Studies North American Conference, and the SUNY Social Justice Conference. Jasmin has been featured in media outlets such as TimeOut New York,CNN, Associated Press, and the New York Observer. Visit www.ourhenhouse.org, a place to find our way to change the world for animals.

RULES

• You will be judged based on how you make the most out of your skills to help animals.
• The contest will run from Monday, April 4^th, 2011 until Friday, April 29^th, 2011 at 5:00 PM EST. No late entries will be considered.
• 750 word essay or 3 minute video max.
• The above judges are clearly very busy people so I will narrow down all contestants to the top 7 contestants. Then our celeb judges will vote for their top 3 favorites in order. I’ll then count up all votes from the judges which will determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners!
• All contest entries must be submitted in the comments section of this blog post. No emails please.

• BONUS POINTSgiven for people who post tweets and facebook updates daily (up to 3 times per day). When tweeting always use twitter hashtag #yttcontest. You may modify the below samples as you wish.
  • Sample Tweet: “I want to win the crazy amount of prizes in the @liztimetravels Your Skills for Animals Contest!! #yttcontest”
  • Sample Facebook Post: “I want to win the crazy amount of prizes in the @Your Time Travels Your Skills for Animals Contest!!”

• To stay apprised of important contest updates make sure you sign upfor blog updates by entering your name and email in the sign up form on the top right hand corner. Please also join the YTT facebook page atwww.facebook.com/yourtimetravels.

• Click here for additional contest rules and regulations.

ENTER YOUR CONTEST SUBMISSION IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!!

So many thanks to our very generous sponsors and prize donators: Earth Balance/MadeJustRight.com, Hurraw! Lip Balms, VegNews, Verite Catering, Business Hours Creative, Kimpton Hotels, Genna McWhinnie, Sally Hope, and Heather Pierce Giannone.

“Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.” Bradley Millar

When I was a young child, I was so shy I’d hardly speak to anyone I didn’t know. I remember getting in trouble in kindergarden for not speaking or playing with any of other children in class. The teacher actually yelled at me for it (at least it sounded like yelling in my child’s mind!), which made me speak even less…

I’m not sure what I was so afraid of, I just know how I felt inside. I wanted to be invisible, I wanted to watch things from a distance but not involve myself. I wanted to hide. I had no voice. At times it really did feel like I was scared of my own shadow, cause someone might see my shadow and drag me out of my shy girl emotional hiding place.

Sure, no surprise why I felt so comforted by animals. With them I could be my present self, no need to hide or suppress my thoughts. No fear of being ridiculed or hurt, nothing but love. I’ve changed a lot since then and I’m a pretty social person now but those feelings will always be a part of me. Those feelings are what have given me my compassion for the weakest among us.

I was contacted recently by an amazing 10 year old girl named Teya from Ghana who told me a story about how she rescued a turkey. Her mom homeschools her and as part of her homeschooling she asked her mom if they could study animal rights. They wanted to practice Teya’s interviewing skills so they asked to interview me.

I was so blown away by this young girl’s maturity, intellect and bravery. She interviewed me like a seasoned pro. She’s the antithesis of the child I was. Her voice was steady and determined. I was in awe of her.

Here’s the brave story of how she voiced her compassion to save a turkey and didn’t let her age or fears hold her back.

A turkey was given to Teya’s grandparents, whom she lived with, to be killed for dinner. In Ghana, turkeys are often given as gifts. The turkey was tied to a tree in a space less than a square meter. Watching “dinner” in her backyard was too much for Teya to handle. She kept asking herself “how can I sit here and do nothing when I can do something to help?”

Teya immediately started researching turkeys and, with the support of her mother, they named him Bob. Teya first convinced her father, then her grandmother, and finally her grandfather that Bob’s lodgings should be upgraded.

Teya didn’t stop there, after Bob was placed in more comfortable surroundings she went on to argue and debate with her family over killing him. As her mom describes it, Teya launched “an eleventh hour death row campaign” that she impressively argued along “emotional, economic and humanitarian lines”! She finally convinced them to spare his life on the condition that she take total responsibility for him.

After fighting for the life of one turkey, both Teya and her mom decided to become vegetarians. Teya’s words: “I reasoned how could I own an animal and eat its kind at the same time? If you had a cat, would you eat other cats, or if you had a hamster, would you eat hamsters? And then if you’re not going to eat one animal, why not spare all?”

Because of Teya, Bob lived out the rest of his life with love and comfort.

Teya’s mom must be an amazing homeschool teacher because this girl is wise beyond her years and the world could learn a lesson or two from this 10 year old who chooses to live such a compassionate, selfless and brave life.

Teya wrote her own blog about our interview on her mom’s blog which you can read by clicking here. Teya clearly doesn’t let her age stop her from anything. As she says in her blog, saving that turkey left her with a “warm fuzzy feeling” that she had made a small contribution and that she “triumphed over that nagging voice“ in her head telling her she couldn’t make a difference because she was only 10 years old.

“You can make a difference in your own little corner of the world.” ~ Teya

Wise words Teya. Today Teya is still finding new ways to help animals in her country and is always willing to challenge others to do what’s right for all living creatures.

Teya, you are amazing and inspiring. Keep living by your values. xoxo, Liz

If you want your kids to learn about animals on your next vacation, we’re working with an amazing rescue center in Costa Rica that is perfect for children and often works with a local orphanage to teach kids about animals. Read about it by clicking here and see a sample itinerary here (more sample itineraries to come in the next few weeks!).