Summer trip 2 - MX 2012

Experience the Mexico that few people know about! We will be working in Vicente Guerrero, a rural agricultural town located about four and a half hours south of the U.S. Border and only a few kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. In this community are many impoverished migrant workers, mostly from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca (pronounced Wha-haw-ka). Work for these people is very sporadic, and therefore provides limited financial stability for their families. As a result, they lack access to clean water, a stable food supply, and adequate housing (most homes are constructed of tin, cardboard, and tarpaulins). In this community, our main project is building homes for families in need. By the time you leave to go home, you will have completely finished and furnished a house, made lifetime friends, and helped to change the future for a family that desperately needs it!

Trip Details

Trip Date:
Aug 16, 2012 to Aug 25, 2012
Registration deadline:
Jun 1, 2012
Minimum fundraising amount:
1,250.00 CAD

Registration steps

Step 1: Register Now

Step 2: Send your initial 300.00 CAD 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
    • $1,250 This is a minimum amount each volunteer has been asked to fundraise/contribute to Live Different Hero Holiday.
      • $300 due with Consent Package.
      • $950 due June 1st, 2012.

     

    Your fundraising amount includes:

    • Hotel in San Diego (first and last nights).
    • All ground transportation needs from the time you land in California until you fly out again.
    • Emergency Medical Travel Insurance.
    • Tourist fees for Mexico (if required).
    • Accommodations and meals while at host location in Mexico.
    • Translator(s).
    • Foremen for work site.
    • General hosting, activities and misc.

     

    What your fundraising amount does not include:

    • Return flights to San Diego, CA.
    • Furniture and groceries for the house that is being built.
    • Spending money
    • Meals while traveling, including time in San Diego, CA

    Thursday, August 16th: 

    • Arrive in San Diego, CA.
    • Orientation at hotel.
    • Stay overnight.

     

    Friday, August 17th:

    • Drive to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico (approx 4-5 hours).
    • Meet the Mexican family you will be building for.
    • Further orientation and debriefing.

     

    Saturday, August 18th -  Tuesday, August 21st:

    • House Building Days. Yes, it is true: you CAN build a house in four days! When you first show up to the work site, there will be a concrete slab waiting for its four walls, roof, and your enthusiasm! Together with the family, you and your team will be a part of making a dream a reality.

     

    Wednesday, August 22nd:

    • Time to purchase gifts for the families' home. Groups in the past have pooled extra cash they have brought and purchased beds, cookware, groceries, stoves, furniture, etc. for the family. After items are purchased you will spend a couple of hours setting everything up in the house.
    • House Dedication. 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.
    • Preparation for what is next - Hero Holiday is going to be one of the most intense and life-changing experiences you will ever have. We want to help you to prepare to return home and integrate this experience into your life back home. On the last day of our trip 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 global community.

     

    Thursday, August 23rd:

    • Excursion Day. Enjoy some of the natural beauty that the Baja has to offer! 

     

    Friday, August 24th:

    • Drive up to San Diego, CA.
    • Stay over night.

     

    Saturday, August 25th:

    • Fly 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 May 1, 2012.
    • After May 1, 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.