Dominican Republic Christmas 2012

We are looking forward to possibly having you join us in the Dominican Republic! Have you ever really wanted to get back to the roots of Christmas? To escape the gross consumerism mentality around the Christmas Season? To give a simple gift of HOPE? Well, then this trip is for you! We believe in the power of hope and the change that each one of us has the potential to bring to the world around us! Live Different Hero Holiday is a program started by Absolute Leadership Development Inc. in 2005. Our goal is to provide volunteers, just like you, with the opportunity to experience the power of making a difference for someone else, while being changed and impacted in the process. You will never be the same! Hero Holiday is an opportunity to travel and meet incredible people whom you will quickly call friends. But it's even more than that: it's the chance to experience life from another perspective and return home changed.

We often think of beaches and tanning when we think of the Dominican Republic, but it is here where we first realized how much work we can do together with our Live Different Hero Holiday volunteers. We are based in a city called Sosua, approximately 15 minutes east of the Puerto Plata Airport. With the help of all of our amazing volunteers, we have completed many houses, schools, community centres, and medical clinics in Dominican and Haitian communities that have been deeply entrenched in poverty and exploitation.

While in Dominican Republic, your team will have the opportunity to help construct a brand new house for a family in need. You will also have the opportunity to visit a local village, make many community connections and have a garbage dump work experience. Everyone has one whole day to have their fun in the sun either by relaxing at the resort, or by being adventurous and trying one of the excursion options!

We need a minimum of 10 participants on this trip in order to make it happen. Please tell all your family and friends to join!

Trip Details

Trip Date:
Dec 27, 2012 to Jan 5, 2013
Registration deadline:
Oct 31, 2012
Minimum fundraising amount:
$1,800.00

Registration steps

Step 1: Register Now

Step 2: Send your initial $300.00 to confirm your registration and secure your spot. Click here to donate

Step 3: Download and print

Step 4: Mail consent package to:
Hero Holiday Processing Office
Box 25103 RPO West Kildonan
Winnipeg MB R2V 4C7
  • Specifics
  • Itinerary
  • Projects
  • Security
  • Fundraising/Refunds

    • Minimum Fundraising Requirements

    • $1,800 This is a minimum amount each volunteer has been asked to fund raise/contribute to Live Different Hero Holiday.
      • $300 due with Consent Package. Last day to apply: October 31st, 2012
      • $1,500 due December 5th, 2012.
    What this amount includes:
    • Airport shuttles to and from the resort.
    • Meals and Accommodations at Sosua by the Sea Resort.
    • Donation towards Projects.
    • Transportation to and from resort and project sites each day.
    • Construction Foreman.
    • Interpreters.
    • General hosting and facilitation.
    What this amount does not include:
    • Flights to and from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
    • Travel Medical Insurance.
    • Private room at the resort - extra $300
    • Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance.
    • Tourist Cards into Dominican Republic - $10 USD.
    • Recommended Resort Staff Tip - $30 USD.
    • Optional: Team dinner in Cabarate - $20 USD.

    Refund Policy

    • This Refund Policy only applies to monies that have been explicitly marked as a "payment" on the Donation/Payment Form.
    • Up to 50% of trip payments (not donations) may be refunded until December 4th, 2012.
    • After December 5th, 2012, no refunds will be given except for extreme circumstances such as death or severe illness/injury resulting in the individual being unable to participate. In such cases, up to 80% of trip payments (not donations) may be refunded. Requests for refund must be made in writing and be accompanied by a death certificate or a doctor's note.
    • Donations are 100% non-refundable.
    • All requests for refund must be forwarded to Absolute Leadership Development Inc. in writing.
    • Payments cannot be forwarded towards a future Live Different Hero Holiday or transferred to another volunteer.
    • In the event of failing to meet application requirements (i.e. not obtaining a valid passport, not meeting minimum fundraising goals, etc), Absolute Leadership Development Inc. (Live Different) reserves the right to cancel participation with no refund of payment.

    Thursday, December 27th:

    • Everyone arrives in Puerto Plata
    • Airport Shuttles are available if needed. Please, if possible, arrange for your flight to arrive before 5pm.
    • Get settled in and relax

    Friday, December 28th:

    • Orientation
    • Awareness Tour - Meet the family you will be building for and get to see past projects that Hero Holiday has completed. This tour will help you understand the way of life in the Dominican, the relationships between Dominicans and Haitians, and why and how poverty is affecting this country.

    Saturday, December 29th - Monday, December 31st:

    •  Project Rotation - everyone is split up into teams of 15 - 20 people and rotate through the following:
          1.    Building sites - Each one of us gets to be a part of a team that sweats and labors together to build what will bring hope and a future to a community (Possible projects include schools and community centres, medical clinics and children's homes). Your team will have a particular focus on helping Haitians living in the Dominican Republic as refugees.
          2.    Community Connections - Experience the opportunity to get to know the community you are joining hands with: play dominoes, get your butt kicked in soccer or basketball, help to distribute food and gifts, and most of all, to celebrate the friendships and the time spent together, we end our trip with a community party!
          3.    "In Their Shoes Work Experience" - (Possibly) Imagine being able to step into someone else's shoes (if they actually owned a pair!). What would it be like to work daily in a garbage dump, desperately seeking ways to support your family? Hero Holiday works alongside of an incredible community of Haitian people who have no choice but to do this every day. During this experience, we provide a safe and practical way to help to triple the daily earnings for a family entrenched in poverty. By assisting them to find recyclable materials that they are able to get payment for, we are able to experience life from their perspective, and realize the power of dignity and hope.

    Tuesday, January 1st: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    • Day off to RELAX! Hero Holiday also recognizes that part of our name is HOLIDAY! Excursion options available. (approx $80 - $100 US)

    Wednesday, January 2nd - Thursday, January 3rd:

    • Last two project days

    Friday, January 4th

    • Preparation for what is next - Hero Holiday is going to be one of the most intense and life-changing experiences you will ever have. Because we believe that this is just the beginning of something for you, we want to help you to prepare to return home and integrate this experience and the lessons learned. We will have a final debriefing that will help you to take this experience and help others understand how we can make a difference in our local and global communities.
    • You will have an opportunity to donate gifts towards the families' home. Groups in the past have pooled extra cash they brought and purchased beds, cookware, groceries, stoves, furniture, etc.
    • House Dedications. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hand over the keys to a brand new home and give the hope of warmth, security, and a brighter future to a family? This gift and moment will be etched in your memory for many years to come.

    Saturday, January 5th

    • Everyone flies home
    The project details are not available at this time, check back soon!

    All of our Hero Holiday staff are experienced professionals in each area they facilitate. We have professional drivers, builders, youth workers, administrators, cooks, mechanics and interpreters. We maintain excellent community relations and work diligently alongside of community leaders and government officials in each country that we work in. We take our responsibilities and your expectations very seriously. Safety is always our number one priority. All of our key staff are first aid certified and we always have immediate access available to quality medical attention (if needed) in all countries that we work in.

    Before a Hero Holiday begins, all parents are given contact numbers and emails for Hero Holiday ground staff. We are available at any time for parental concerns or emergencies. Our staff also works hard to keep family and friends back home updated on a daily basis with stories and pictures of what is happening with each particular group.

    Understanding of Charitable Donations

    • It is important to understand that Live Different Hero Holiday is a charitable program of Absolute Leadership Development Inc. This means that "participants/travelers" are functioning as volunteers of Absolute Leadership Development, to with assist our charitable humanitarian work. Hero Holiday Participants are not the beneficiaries of this charitable program; they are volunteers, approved by our Board of Directors, that carry out the humanitarian work.
    • Due to the expense and logistics of coordinating a volunteer humanitarian development project, an important qualification is for each volunteer to meet their trip's minimum individual fundraising goal. To meet this minimum goal, volunteer's can solicit tax receiptable donations on behalf of Live Different, for the specifc project they are volunteering on. According to charity law, a donation is a voluntary transfer of property without valuable consideration to the donor; donors cannot choose the beneficiaries of their donations, and a charity must have full discretion in deciding how to allocate its funds. It is the volunteer's obligation to inform donors that all donations are given to the project/charity, and are not being given as a direct monetary benefit to the volunteer.
    • This means that ALL donations are absolutely, 100% non-refundable. In event of any form of cancellation whatsoever or overpayment, funds will instead be allocated towards other charitable programs.
    • A Donation/Payment Form must accompany all monies submitted to Live Different.
    • Do NOT put the volunteer's name in the memo on a donation cheque.
    • Alternately, if a person does not want to give a donation to the charitable project, but make a non-tax receiptable payment on the volunteer's behalf that will have the benefit of falling under our refund policy, they can indicate this on the Donation/Payment Form.

    Refund Policy

    • This Refund Policy only applies to monies that have been explicitly marked as a "payment" on the Donation/Payment Form.
    • Up to 50% of trip payments (not donations) may be refunded until Nov 1, 2012.
    • After Dec 5, 2012, no refunds will be given except for extreme circumstances such as death or severe illness/injury resulting in the individual being unable to participate. In such cases, up to 80% of trip payments (not donations) may be refunded. Requests for refund must be made in writing and be accompanied by a death certificate or a doctor's note.
    • Donations are 100% non-refundable.
    • All requests for refund must be forwarded to Absolute Leadership Development Inc. in writing.
    • Payments cannot be forwarded towards a future Live Different Hero Holiday or transferred to another volunteer.
    • In the event of failing to meet application requirements (i.e. not obtaining a valid passport, not meeting minimum fundraising goals, etc), Absolute Leadership Development Inc. (Live Different) reserves the right to cancel participation with no refund of payment.