Gonzaga DR 2012
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!
Trip Details
- Fly to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
- Settle into resort: Sosua by the Sea (www.sosuabythesea.com).
- Meet the staff, training and 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.
- Project Rotation
1. Building sites - Each one of us gets to be a part of a team that sweats and labors together to build homes for families in need. While on the building sites, your team will also have the opportunity to get to know the community you are working in by facilitating activity sessions for the local children and possibly helping the families with daily chores needing to be done. Some examples are: playing dominoes, getting your butt kicked in soccer, basketball or baseball, working on crafts with children, helping wash laundry or dishes, etc. Our goal is to come along side these people as friends to help, while showing them the dignity and respect they deserve.
2. "In Their Shoes Work Experience" - (Possibility) 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 hope. - Day off to RELAX! Hero Holiday also recognizes that part of our name is HOLIDAY! Each team member will be afforded one day off for relaxation and/or adventure. We want you to experience some of the natural beauty and adventure that the Dominican Republic has to offer.
- 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.
- Fly back to Canada.
- 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.
- 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 Feb 1, 2012.
- After Mar 15, 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.
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
Trip Itinerary:
DAY 1:
DAY 2:
DAY 3 - DAY 7:
DAY 8:
DAY 9:
DAY 10:
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.
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.
