The World
The SCAW Difference
Jul 7th
Dave Dryden has flown several thousand miles and is on his way to one million, but a different million was his goal (actually, originally his father’s goal), a goal that was met last year. Dave, through the organization Sleeping Children Around the World, oversaw the distribution of its one millionth bedkit. (Bedkits consist of a mattress, blanket, pillow and other bedding essentials.)
SCAW was founded by Murray and Margaret Dryden. Murray always thought a sleeping child was a beautiful thing on so many levels. He decided to capture this beauty by photographing some sleeping children, which he planned on turning into a book. On a picture-taking trip in India, he saw a child sleeping in the street and decided to do something about it. SCAW was born in 1970, and 50 bedkits were distributed in Pune, India.
Both Dave and SCAW have come a long way from their beginnings in the Dryden home in Toronto. Dave and his younger brother Ken went on to have stellar pro hockey careers. After retiring, Dave coached for several years, but his true calling was continuing what his father had started.
Now beyond the original goal of one million, Dave says SCAW has gone through a strategic planning process. While another million is certainly a goal, they want to emphasize “giving from the heart, not from a guilty conscience.”
What makes the success of SCAW more interesting is that they do no advertising. Dave told me their marketing committee (with a budget of zero) has to find creative ways to publicize SCAW. Perhaps their biggest and best publicists are the 100 volunteers who travel for SCAW. They come back so pumped up and spread the word themselves. They do also take advantage of free services, such as Facebook and a blogsite.
While distributing the bedkits, Dave had been to numerous countries, but says he has not been to a museum or art gallery, nor to the tallest buildings downtown. Instead, he spends his time with the people. He is always amazed at the universality of children worldwide, rich or poor. He also said “family” is probably the most common value he encounters.
SCAW has distributed bedkits in more than 33 countries. Because of the efforts of SCAW and people like Dave, more than one million children have received bedding. He is certainly a humanitarian, and over the years, he has become quite a global traveler.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
Outsized in Shanghai
Apr 23rd
To a kid growing up viewing the small (but lovable) skyline of Philadelphia, New York City seemed bigger than life. On the train into the city, seeing the skyscrapers of uptown and downtown stretching to cover the island, I felt awe at the idea of just how much life and energy Manhattan held. Then, last week, I rode the train into a different city, in a different country, and learned a different meaning of the word “massive.” Welcome to Shanghai.
Shanghai wasn’t my first introduction to large cities in China; I had just come from Nanjing and had visited Beijing on a previous trip. Foolishly, I thought that Shanghai would measure around their size; mind-boggingly expansive at first, but not to the extent that you can’t wrap your head around it eventually. The joke was on me.
I can only imagine what the aerial view of Shanghai might be like; perhaps from 30,000 feet in the air you could see an end to the city. From the ground you can’t. If you enter the city via rail, your first introduction to what’s ahead are sprawling apartment complexes lining the tracks in clusters of 20, 40, 80 — each building exactly like the one next to it within its complex and each building holding upwards of 200 families. Try doing that math in your head: If each apartment holds three people, then each building houses 600 people; 600 per building times 20 buildings equals 12,000-plus people in the smallest complex. And these were only the suburbs.
Once you cross into the actual city, there is nothing but city. I took a taxi from (what I thought) was one side of the city to the other and still couldn’t find an end to the skyscrapers. Mind you, that taxi ride took 15 minutes on a superhighway, without traffic. If you took the same ride through NYC, you’d zip through from one side to the other in no time flat.
Shanghai is the only city thus far to completely baffle me, and I love it for doing so. I hope so much to encounter an opportunity to return and try once again to find my bearings amidst the insanity, although I think it would take living there for at least six months (probably more!) to actually say you know Shanghai. Then again, to know Shanghai is probably a fleeting feeling, because every day it stretches a bit closer to the horizon and to the sky.
Dear Philadelphia, I still love you. To New York, you gave it your best shot. But Shanghai’s the future, and America, we have a lot of catching up to do if we expect to be a part of it.
– Kate Gallagher, advertising and editorial coordinator
Volcanic Disruption
Apr 19th
Due to the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland, my flight to the United Kingdom has been canceled and my round-the-world business trip will be shortened to include just Asia. I was hoping to fly British Airways‘ new first-class product and review it for Global Traveler. I will have to reschedule the trip for a later date when the air over the UK and Europe clears of the pumice and silica from Eyjafjallajokull. The eruption may continue for months.
I see the thousands of stranded passengers at Heathrow and other airports on the news and I wonder what I would do in this situation. Hotels are full and trains are overbooked. Cars are scarce as people try to move south to Spain or Portugal, countries which have not yet been affected. Others are holding tight in hopes that the cloud of ash will move away. I think I would favor the former and get moving, trying to find an alternative airport, even if it meant trekking the 1,000-plus miles from London to Spain. The big problem, though, is the congested travel across the channel. Maybe I would make a trip of it, playing European golf courses en route.
I have now changed my trip, leaving directly from JFK to Beijing and then to Hong Kong. This is a simpler and quicker trip than originally planned, but I am disappointed I will be missing out on the BA first-class experience, my meetings and golf in the UK. Right now I am scanning for a Beijing golf course for the next GTee golf review. Traveling can be a pain in the ash at times!
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
The Spot
Mar 30th
Every city I travel to, whether it is my favorite or not quite my cup of tea, I have “the spot” I have to go to, no matter how many times I’ve been before. Call it a habit or sense of familiarity that makes me feel not so far from home. I enjoy revisiting these places and love when I can add a new place to my list.
For example, when in London I have to take a photo of Big Ben for my dad. Growing up, we traveled to London frequently, and my father always had to stop and take a picture of Big Ben. When my brother and I were younger, we found it a bit annoying, seeing as how Big Ben doesn’t change much, but out of nostalgia now, it is a must.
Most recently, during a visit to Kuala Lumpur, I discovered a new spot that will be a must every time I’m passing through. It is the spa at the Ritz-Carlton. This spa is the epitome of an urban oasis. KL is one of those cities that never stops. It is always hot, and as a developing city there are always construction and lights. These are all reasons I love the city, but it can be hard to find some solace when in the center of the city for work. However, the Ritz-Carlton, located at the end of the popular Golden Triangle section of town, offers a slice of heaven.
The spa facilities are beautiful. From within the hotel you go to the fourth floor and go through an open-air walkway to the spa. It is a minimalist entrance, and the design of the rooms made me feel like I was on a jungle island surrounded by greenery and solitude. I didn’t even hear the sounds of the city.
Quite often my spots in different cities include coffee shops or certain boutique stores. It makes it more fun when the people start to remember me, even if it’s only from an annual visit. I guess as they said in the movie Up in the Air, it’s “glocal.” For my spots and me, it’s making my global community feel local!
– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
