Blog

A win-win situation!

written on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 14:18
I was fortunate enough to take part in a hero holiday in Dominican Republic from April 4-13. How I got there with a bunch of westjetters is a story in itself!!! Up until I received a misdirected phone call I had NO idea who Live Different were, much less what they did.

The strength of the Haitian people

written on Sat, 05/11/2013 - 13:09

Today was a hard, yet inspiring day. We woke up bright and early, at breakfast together and started our trek up the steep hill to the school. After the relief of making it up to the top, and seeing the beautiful view that we would witness while working we were greeted eagerly by all the young Haitian children attending the school. They rushed outside yelling ‘Blons’ which is the name for white people, and shortly after formed a circle around their teachers who led them into the most adorable song and dance. We all took pictures and a few team members even joined in. There were a few children with broken school shoes, frayed socks.


A Collective Thought on Trees

written on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 04:26

A very special day today! Three groups of business people came to the home to give back. It all started with a group tour that allowed the donors a chance to look into the lives of these children and inner workings of the home. 

 


Coffee, Rock Stars, and Thrift Stores

written on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 10:35
Recently, our wonderful cross country journey has brought us to a little town called Winkler, in Manitoba. Winkler is your average small town, with plenty of friendly people and fun things to do - except that this specific small town created an environment for one of the most amazing weekends that I’ve had on this tour.

Would you like some water?

written on Mon, 05/06/2013 - 17:58
On a hot summer day, if someone asked you this question I guarantee your answer would be yes, without another thought. Nothing could ever prepare me for what I experienced today and it will forever force me to rethink the answer to this simple question.

Live with purpose, live with love, live different

written on Mon, 05/06/2013 - 17:31
I can't believe this day has finally come. After months of fundraising, planning, and anticipating we’re all here in Haiti. It is the most surreal experience to speak and dream of doing something, and then actually live it. I had no real idea of what Haiti would be like; after all, all I had ever known of this country was through text and film. What I have experienced on my first day in Haiti has surprised me, amazed me and touched my heart in so many ways.

Falling In Love, One by One

written on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 20:30
It's common to fall in love with Thailand. It's hard not to. But I'm falling in love in Thailand. Seriously. One child at a time. One adult at a time, one idea at a time. Every day we travel from our hotel to the children's home. Once there, we're instantly enveloped by the younger kids who compete, it seems, in expressions of affection. Then we play!

Five Days In

written on Fri, 04/26/2013 - 19:46
I can't believe we are five days into our trip. It's been an amazing experience from learning Spanish, to playing with the crazy amounts of children. There are truly no words to describe how amazing this trip has been so far. Here we are, 17 high school teenagers in various grades with five different teachers. We have not only come together as a hard working group but we have become a family.

With an opened mind and a welcomed heart

written on Fri, 04/26/2013 - 19:22
Today was our orientation and awareness tour. Our team got to visit the school in Arroyo Secco, the worksite and to meet our new family.

School Liason Job Posting - April 2013

written on Thu, 04/25/2013 - 13:01
The School Liaison position is Live Different's connection point with middle and secondary schools all across Canada, facilitating the booking and scheduling of our school tours.  It requires an organized person with a strong sales focus/skillls, initiative to think strategically and logically, and who is passionate about the overall values and programs of Live Different.


Friends are the family that we choose ourselves

written on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 10:43
Today was a day of celebration as our families received the keys for their new homes. Each tear shed was a mark for hope, prosperity, longevity, health, and happiness. This, like all experiences previous, was a mixture of emotions not unknown to any of us as we laughed and cried on our roller coaster ride.

A Day To Remember

written on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 09:42
The Live Different Academy students have spent two days working in Mexico in the raspberry fields as part of their shack experience. They got up at 4 am each day and worked long days alongside the locals picking berries and weeding the plants and then went home to their shack in the evening. Keep reading to find out more about what they thought and felt and to hear some stories of a few of the amazing people they met along the way!

Hamper Shopping in Mexico

written on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 17:18
The first weekend that we here in Mexico, “hamper shopping” was introduced to my vocabulary. The Give Different Campaign over the winter holiday had raised enough money to give every family that had received a new house in 2012 an opportunity to receive a generous amount of groceries and other household supplies.

The nights are long but the dreams are longer

written on Tue, 04/09/2013 - 22:10
Our team is a mix of first time visitors and others on their second or even third trip to the Dominican. The briefing Nettie provided for us this morning was a reminder for some, while a blank canvas to others. "The garbage dump day is by far the most impacting day you will experience." As you looked around the room, the expressions on our faces, the bowed heads, the tears streaming down cheeks....you couldn't tell which ones of us were new and which ones were returning.

A crazy, wonderful day

written on Tue, 04/09/2013 - 17:42
What a another crazy, wonderful day today was. Second day on the build site and things were running like a clock. Almost all of the concrete walls were put up by the end of the day. I was so proud to see how hard everyone works on the site. If someone needs something, it just gets done

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