For those of you who have been following the story of my brand being used by a multi-billion dollar corporation, I want to fill you in on the latest news. On Monday I posted an open letter to Adecco stating some common grounds for what could be done in order to turn a negative situation into a positive resolution. I want you all to know that Adecco stepped up, recognized their mistake, and made it right by graciously accepting all of the terms for common grounds I brought forth, in full, in order to reach a constructive ending. I’m also pleased that Adecco stuck to their commitment to the kids for the work experiences abroad. Most importantly, I’m very happy that the $50,000 donation to the SaveElephant.org foundation will be made. This donation will go along way towards helping captive and injured elephants have better lives in Southeast Asia — an issue that is close to my heart, and to many others.

There are a few friends of mine that went over and above the call of duty to help this whole thing come together. First, a big thank you goes out to Stephen Oddo and his amazing folks at Walks of Italy for lifting me up in my darkest hour and supporting my decisions every step of the way. Thank you to Michael and Zach at Lightcrest who worked overtime getting my site onto their servers and back up and running when it crashed on my old hosting provider (thanks to Reddit!). I also want to thank Ben Davidson, who offered some great legal advice on trademarks, despite my refusal to take a legal course of action. In my mind, by resolving issues with the power of our voices, and using the Internet to communicate our ideas, we can reach better, more positive solutions for everyone.

Lastly, with deep respect and deference, I want to thank all of the travel bloggers, every other type of blogger, citizens of the Internet, travel friends and total strangers who rallied behind me on this issue. I am so humbled and inspired by how you all came together in support of me and of our community. This positive resolution may not have happened had it not been for your dedication and commitment to entrepreneurship and the value of our ideas. I am honored to call you colleagues and friends. This is a win for all of us, and it sets a higher bar going forward for the way companies treat small business and independent creative entrepreneurs.

It’s been a crazy few weeks, not just for me, but also for many of us around the world. The Internet changes our ability to rally together around important causes and effect actual #change. It’s amazing what can be done when many voices speak up and unite as one.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Turner C. Barr

Founder & Creator of AroundtheWorldin80Jobs.com