Press Release

Pan-Am-Via-Van

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 - SEATTLE, Wash. - The ultimate road trip: Alaska to Argentina, pole to pole, 20,000 miles of the Pan American Highway, 105 degrees of latitude, 18 countries, five languages, one couple, and two dogs, in a 23-year-old giant 4-wheeled toaster without air-conditioning. For one cause: to help the world. Wish us luck, we may just need it.

Seattleites, Jesse Weinberg, Brie Pinkerton and their two dogs Shooter and Jazz will depart October 1 on the journey of a lifetime. They are taking six to twelve months and will drive approximately 20,000 miles in a 1986 van down the Pan American Highway to raise money for groundbreaking Jolkona Foundation (www.jolkona.org).

The Jolkona Foundation is a new organization designed to mobilize young people to support successful community development projects around the world. Through Jolkona’s website, individuals can select specific projects to fund, make small-scale gifts that have big impact, and see tangible results for their generosity.

Weinberg and Pinkerton (www.spiritvanimal.com) formed a partnership with The Jolkona Foundation when they realized that the intentions of their adventure align perfectly with the work Jolkona is doing. Both recognize the world is interconnected and that young people are looking for ways to make it better and to track their results. Jesse and Brie are dedicating their travels, writing and photography to raise money for Jolkona.

Jesse and Brie will be writing an extensive travel blog and photo documenting the journey. Jesse is a photographer, writer, bartender and adventurer with a degree in photography and a passion for travel. Brie is a pre-nursing student and bartender, with a degree in social science and the commitment to making this world a better place. Shooter and Jazz will be the first Cocka-Poos to travel from pole to pole. Follow Jesse, Brie, Shooter and Jazz in their van all the way down at www.spiritvanimal.com.

About Jolkona Foundation

Jolkona Foundation (www.jolkona.org) is a 501(c)3 organization that whose goal is to infuse philanthropy into the human DNA by using technology to make the giving process easy, engaging, and fulfilling, regardless of income. Their donors can easily choose from a variety of innovative projects on the web, each of whichshows a one-to-one proof of impact for each donation.

Jolkona foundation’s partnerships with a diverse set of projects, their commitment to tangible proofs of impact for each gift, and their effective use of technology make them an attractive vehicle for mobilizing today’s youth to stay engaged and make a difference. The website allows "microdonations" starting at $5.00 to over 45 projects in five different categories: Public Health, Education, Empowerment, Environment, and Cultural Identity in more than 25 countries.

Media Contact Information:

Jesse Weinberg
206 790 9000
jessewweinberg@gmail.com