Catalyst Foundation

Congratulations on being part of the Catalyst Award Hero Holiday!

We are looking forward to an amazing experience together this July/August. Our goal for this trip is to challenge and inspire you. You were chosen as a Catalyst Award recipient because of your commitment to a dream of serving others. We want to help you pursue that dream with the added insight that you can gain from exposure to a variety of people and organizations who are working in education, relief, construction, medicine, economic development, and tourism.

While most youth humanitarian trips provide the opportunity to interact with a single community or project, we will be experiencing several and taking the time to openly discuss the apparent advantages and disadvantages of each; and then relate all we are discovering to our individual dreams and plans. There will also be time to enjoy the beach and culture of the area!

Things you should do:
1. Ensure you have a current passport.
2. Ensure your immunizations are up to date.  See your doctor or local travel clinic for advice.
3. Plan on bringing a small amount of cash for meals in airports, occasional snacks, and souvenirs.
4. Take some time on Live Different's website (www.livedifferent.com) and join their Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Live-Different/189864944417296) to get a little more information and see some great pictures from other trips.
5. Think about your dreams and what you might hope to see or learn that will help you move towards them.
6. Consider learning a few basic phrases in Spanish. You'll be amazed how much even a bit helps.
7. Join the “Catalyst Award 2012” group on facebook. We'll post interesting information there and it will be a great place to share pics and stories while we're on the trip.

I am very excited to share this trip with you, as are our other chaperones, (Kala & Adam), and the staff from Live Different who will be guiding and translating for us.

Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns, it's my job to make sure this week becomes one of the best and most signifcant of your life!

Chris Wignall
Executive Director, Catalyst Foundation
chris@catalystfoundation.ca

Trip Details

Trip Date:
Jul 29, 2012 to Aug 4, 2012

Sorry, this trip already happened!

See trip updates

Trip Updates

  • 10 months 2 weeks ago
    Off to learn about the Santana Hospital and all the amazing programs they do. Then it is on to the Santo Domingo Airport to begin the journey back to Canada.
  • 10 months 2 weeks ago
    Had such a bonding night as a team sharing our stories and debriefing the trip. It is amazing how in such a short time a team can become so close.
  • 10 months 2 weeks ago
    Early morning start as the Catalyst team is off to Santo Domingo, the Dominican's capital. We have some more site visits today at a Worldvision facility.
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    Off to see what Live Different is doing in the community of Nuevo Renacer (Aguas Negras) in the morning. In the afternoon we are touring The Dream Project in Cabarete.
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    Team has arrived back from Haiti. All a little tired but loved seeing the Cap Haitien school.
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    Team is crossing the border into Haiti. Off to see our school in Cap Haitien and learn more about the culture. Will post another comment when the team arrives back to Sosua by the Sea.
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    We're off to see some projects to day... a school, communities, there leaders, a clinic, a monkey jungle, and we may even get some zipling in!
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    The Catalyst team is up and ready to go to our Garbage Dump activity. Pictures to come... In the afternoon we are off to see one of Dominican Republic's beautiful natural waterfalls.
  • 10 months 3 weeks ago
    Catalyst team has arrived safe and sound to Sosua by the Sea. Looks like the team is enjoying the ocean or taking naps after their 3am travel time.
  • 11 months 2 weeks ago
    Hey Everyone!! This is the DR Catalyst Award Hero Holiday page. Here you can find daily updates on what the team is doing, links to pictures and blogs, and post messages to team members on the "Shoutbox". This is going to be an amazing trip!
  • Live Updates
  • Itinerary
  • Projects
  • Security
  • Fundraising/Refunds

    • Shoutbox

    In the box below, you can leave a message to encourage the Hero Holiday participants on this trip, and participants can message you back! (time and internet access permitting)

    Blogs about this trip

    Posts coming soon!

    Trip Itinerary

    **Dates and itinerary subject to change**

    Sunday, July 29th:

    Date       Flight #           Departure                            Arrival
    29-Jul    AA 2127     Toronto 6:30 AM                  Miami 9:35 AM
    29-Jul    AA 979       Miami 12:05 PM                  Puerto Plata 2:10 PM
    4-Aug    AA 778       Santo Domingo 4:20 PM     Miami 6:50 PM
    4-Aug    AA 646       Miami 8:35 PM                    Toronto 11:45 PM

    • Meet at American Airlines ticketing counter for 3am
    • Depart for the Dominican Republic
    • Arrive, settle in, supper, cultural orientation

    Monday, July 30:

    • MORNING - "In Their Shoes Work Experience" - 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 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 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. Please bring longer light weight pants, leather work gloves (2 pairs), a hat, and close toe shoes (running or rubber boots if you have room).
        
    • AFTERNOON - Waterfall hike. 

    Tuesday, July 31st:

    • MORNING - Visit a school that Absolute's Hero Holiday program helped build named, Arroyo Seco. There you will see what a well run community centre can do for a community.
        
    • AFTERNOON - Monkey Jungle. Go ziplining, feed some monkeys, and take a tour of the medical centre. www.monkeyjungledr.com

    Wednesday, August 1st:

    • We are off to Cap Haitian, Haiti!!! See the community of Calvaire and school Live Different is building there.

    Thursday, August 2nd:

    • Spend the day in Aguas Negra. A tour and small work project. 

    Friday, August 3rd:

    • Off to Santa Domingo to visit the Santana Hospital.
       
    • Spend night in Santa Domingo

    Saturday, August 4th: 

    • MORNING - Visit to World Vision. Tour their organization and all the amazing things they are doing.
       
    • AFTERNOON - Fly Home

    Live Different chooses to employ and work alongside local labourers and tradespeople in communities where we have established connections and relationships. No family is ever simply a "project" for us, and each family is chosen and approved through a process with local community workers. Each home is one that will be built with love, hope, and dignity - together.

    There are no project details available at this time. Please 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 volunteers (and parents, if applicable) 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

    • Note: for those using CanadaHelps GivingPage, tax receipts will be issued by CanadaHelps and not from Live Different (CanadaHelps disburses the funds raised online to Live Different on a weekly basis). All of the below principles of what a legal charitable donation is apply whether CanadaHelps or Live Different is processing the donation.
    • It is important to understand that Live Different Hero Holiday is a charitable program. This means that "participants/travelers" are functioning as volunteers, approved by our Board of Directors, to help achieve the charitable purpose of Live Different. The beneficiaries of this charitable program are families and people in-need in our host countries, not those who deliver the program (even though it may be incredibly fun, rewarding and even life-changing to serve others in need).
    • Additionally, the humanitarian trip does not have a "personal recreational vacation" component that is more than incidental to the charitable project (eg. if there were multiple days of personal vacation free-time this would be a monetary-type personal benefit and funds raised would not qualify as a gift for income tax purposes).
    • 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 fundraising goal. Volunteers can solicit tax receiptable donations (via CanadaHelps) to reach the minimum fundraising goal to help pay for their costs in carrying out the project, and such designated contributions are received by Live Different (via CanadaHelps) for its charitable purposes. 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. Even if related persons or the volunteer make contributions to meet the fundraising goal of the humanitarian trip, the contributions are gifts for income tax purposes because they pass the CRA tests. Therefore, CanadaHelps or Live Different are able to issue an official receipt for income tax purposes. It is the volunteer's obligation to inform donors that all donations are given to the project/charity, and though donations help meet the volunteer's fundraising goal and their costs associated with the charitable project, they are not being used as a direct monetary benefit to the volunteer (eg. monies won't be refunded, they won't be used to cover personal/recreational expenses, etc.)
    • This means that ALL donations are absolutely, 100% non-refundable (whether given via CanadaHelps or directly to Live Different), as it is not legal for a charity to refund a donation. In event of any form of cancellation whatsoever or exceeding a fundraising goal, funds will instead be allocated towards where most needed in the project or in other charitable programs. In the event that a volunteer is unable to participate in the project, fundraising efforts may be taken into account when registering for a future trip, but this is exclusively the decision of Live Different.
    • If you receive anynonmous cash donations or proceeds from a fundraising sale, it is not legal to claim this as a tax-receiptable donation using your name/address, as you will receive a tax-deductible receipt for a donation that wasn't really from you.
    • Alternately, if you do not wish to give a donation, fundraise, or use CanadaHelps, please contact us to discuss making a non-tax receiptable direct payment that will have the benefit of falling under our refund policy.

    Refund Policy

    • This Refund Policy does NOT apply to any monies given via CanadaHelps. Donations are 100% non-refundable, whether given via CanadaHelps or directly to Live Different. (It is not legal to refund donations).
    • This Refund Policy only applies to those who have contacted us to arrange direct payment, and have explicitly marked monies as "Payment" on the payment form.
    • Up to 50% of trip payments (not donations) can be refunded up to Apr 30, 2012.
    • After Apr 30, 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 at Live Different's discretion. Requests for refund must be made in writing and be accompanied by a death certificate or a doctor's note
    • All requests for refund must be forwarded to Live Different in writing.
    • In the event of failing to meet registration requirements (e.g. not obtaining a valid passport, not meeting minimum fundraising goals, etc), Live Different reserves the right to cancel participation with no refund of payment.
    • Payments cannot be forwarded towards a future Live Different Hero Holiday or transferred to another volunteer, however, in such an event where a volunteer is unable to participate in the project, fundraising efforts may be taken into account when registering for a future trip, but this is exclusively the decision of Live Different.