Tuesday, April 10:

• Fly to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
• Settle into resort: Sosua by the Sea (www.sosuabythesea.com).
• Meet the staff, training and orientation.

Wednesday, April 11:

• Awareness Tour - Meet the families 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.

Thursday, April 12 - Monday, April 16:

• 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.

Tuesday, April 17:

• 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.

Wednesday, April 18:

• 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.

Thursday, April 19:

• Fly back to Canada.

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 Jan 21, 2012.
• After Jan 21, 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.