Ciara’s Story – You’ll be amazed how much people care!

When I first started thinking about asking for donations for my Hero Holiday, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t think people would hold much interest in my project, but I was truly shocked by how much people WANT to contribute. My friends and family and even people that I barely knew were overwhelmingly generous and genuinely interested in all aspects of my project. Seeing how interested and supportive and truly kind people were about my humanitarian trip was a wonderful thing to see. You’ll be amazed at how much people care and encourage humanitarian efforts.

Alicia’s Story – I raised every single dollar!

“My first Hero Holiday trip was to the Dominican Republic in 2008. I was in grade ten, and I realized that I wanted more in life than facades of happiness, technological distractions, and self-indulgence: I wanted tobe the change however I could. I was a shy child from a low-income, single parent household, so walking into my first Hero Holiday to be greeted with a grand smile and warm introduction made all the difference. The group worked to plan fundraising projects where youth and their families could get involved to raise hundreds of dollars at a time. As an outsider in my school it felt wonderful to finally feel as if I was a fundamental part of a group, and I came to realize that every time I signed up to raise money I was getting exponentially closer to my goal. I raised every single dollar to go on the Dominican Republic trip.
My second Hero Holiday trip was to Mexico in 2009. After getting back from the Dominican Republic I knewthat I had to continue to participate in the future. I knew that between the Time Horton Coffees, and school shopping I had to make room for the greater good. For the Mexico trip I had a little more experience, because even the fundraising for Dominican gave me life skills. I said goodbye to my reserved personality, and decided to go out, sit down to meetings, and actual pitch my fundraising quest to influential people and business’. A teacher of mine who had raised the money for Hero Holiday before actually sent me one thousand dollars towards my cause! Once again, I had been able to raise the money to travel with the organization.
I can sincerely say that the easiest part about Hero Holiday is the fundraising, team-oriented events, and mentoring of the leaders.
Yet the hardest part is coming home.
Now, I’m in my grade 12 year, turning eighteen, and raising the money to go off the Haiti on their adult trip in May. For my third year I’ve been subject to grand smiles and warm welcomes. Once again I’m getting exponentially closer to my goal.”

Spring Break School Build

The past couple have days have been unforgettable. I have been on two previous Hero Holiday’s to the Dominican Republic however this is my first Hero Holiday to Mexico. The past couple of days we have been working on a school that forty nine children will be attending. Yesterday we worked on the inside of the school painting and completing the detail work. After laying all the wood on the roof, we had to do the messy job of tarring. I really enjoyed roofing since I have never done this before.It has been amazing to see the community coming together to help in the building of their new school. It really gives them a pride in their community. Even the men who work during the day (3am – 2pm) at local ranches pop by to help when they are finished. They put in grueling hours at their regular jobs, and yet they really wanted to contribute. These men have dug many of the holes for the play ground equipment’s foundation. I have been really enjoying my experience so far and I am looking forward to the school dedication on Monday where we will be handing off the school to the community.~ Emily, a Hero Holiday participant

Team 2 Hits The Road!

Hello World,

We have embarked on our tour through Eastern Canada. We actually left a few weeks ago now, but wanted to catch you up on how things have been going. Bryan, one of the School of Leadership students on our team, offered his daily journal to give you all an inside glimpse into a typical week on tour with us…who am I kidding, there’s no such thing as a typical week. But here it is, Week 1 of Team 2’s Eastern Tour. Enjoy!

Hey everyone,

Our first adventure has begun.  We have actually set off on our Eastern tour. My best friend Adrian’s team has now left westward as well. 

Last Sunday was Day 1 of our journey.  Mel’s parents and Adam showed up to see us off, and we said goodbye to Adrian and Kelsey, acknowledging shockingly that it will have been the longest time we will have been separated since August.  We pulled out of Hamilton and flew on past Toronto.  From the highway in North York, I swear I saw the CN Tower.  Once in Laura’s hometown of Oshawa, we were warmly greeted by her parents at her home.  I beat JP and DJ at Chess and Queen was blaring in the background.  We ate well with leftovers for the road.  Between Belleville and Kingston, we heard a vibration, so we pulled over to discover that we would be pulled over for a while.  A cop and a mechanic came by, but nothing really got moving until Dave and Sue, old friends of the Earles (our co-founders) arrived to pick up our trailer.  The tow truck failed, but a flat-bed finally succeeded in loading our bus.  In Belleville, we dropped off the bus at a Ford dealership and brought the trailer to their home where we caught the end of the Olympics closing ceremonies, had a beautiful dinner and got to sleep.

Day 2, instead of presenting in Ottawa, as per the plan, we hung around, waiting for the bus to be repaired, watching Titanic and playing pool, until JP, DJ and I decided to make things quicker by driving out to Kingston in Dave’s truck to pick up a new wheel and hub which we brought back.  In forty-five minutes it was fixed and we could be on our way.  We had dinner at Wendy’s in Kingston, and spent the night in a pastor’s vacant house in Cornwall, the most Eastern city in Ontario.  Good news:  The school in Ottawa will be revisited!

Day 3, we packed up the whole lot of food that the pastor left for us and drove the very short distance to the school in Cornwall, where the local police department was having us put on three different shows for all the local schools.  After the first one, we had lunch, and then did the last two, each one better than the last, except for some wireless microphone difficulties…  We drove back to Kingston again to stay at Ashley’s house.  He is the LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) media/marketing manager.  It was Ryan Wood and his family, the current LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) boss of everything, who came with our bus and Rachelle.  We transferred our things into the new, larger bus and went to sleep, glad to have Rachelle join our ranks, making us ten:  JP, Meagan, Christian, DJ, Hammer, Laura, Melissa, Rachelle, Nicole, and myself, Bryan.

Day 4, in the morning, some of us cleaned up the bus to ready it for our voyage.  We left, and picked up some groceries.  On our way east, we picnicked in the bus.  We arrived in Quebec, my first time.  It is really strange to be in a French-speaking land!  It is new for me.  We got some free coffees from McDonald’s and drove on through the old and new sights of Montreal.  We stopped near Trois-Rivieres for dinner at A&W, and then had our first tastes of the show 24, which would lead to a regrettable consuming addiction for us.  In Quebec City, we stopped at a McDonald’s, where we met with an old English-speaking LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute)r-turned Quebecois.  We drove on through the night. I was slated for the duty of talking to JP through the night while he drove.  Just after we crossed into New Brunswick, JP and I got to sleep while Meagan took over driving. 

Day 5, we awoke just beyond Fredericton.  Once in Moncton, JP picked up breakfast groceries.  From then on, DJ did the driving.  A few episodes of 24 later, we were through Antigonish and the bulk of Nova Scotia and into Cape Breton on the Northeast tip of the province, to Sydney Mines.  We ate some local fish and chips and then arrived at our billets, a pastor family.  The band and I got the overflow billet at the house of some guys from their church.

Day 6.  It seems that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are currently under a freakish grip of snowfall that is uncharacteristic of the region for this time of year.  Anyway, this morning I awoke with a migraine, possibly due to the change in barometric pressure.  We got to our first school in Florence.  The students were quiet, but appreciative and the show went great.  We packed up quick and moved it over to the next school in North Sydney.  We picnicked in the bus before we loaded in.  Our billets sat in for this awesome show, and we went home to have dinner at their house back in Sydney Mines.  That night, we went to a get-together in town, where we experienced small-town Cape Breton fellowship and a little step-set dancing.

 Day 7, us guys slept in a little at our billet, and played a little N64 on their big-screen TV and enjoyed a pancake breakfast.  We met up with the rest of our crew and went into town.  Most of us went shopping at the local second-hand store, but JP and I walked around the harbour, contemplating the economy of the region.  I tasted the Atlantic Ocean for fun, and then JP and I took our speculation to research.  We stopped into Blue Star Traders and chatted with the owner.  It seems that the areas core industries of old, coal mining, farming and fishing have long gone, and so general desperation has dominated the area.  People rely on EI and turn to crime to get by in some cases.  It seems that this regrettable phenomenon is increasingly common in Eastern Canada.  After lunch at a local burger stand, our resident local teenager, Britney, showed us the way to an old WWII barracks on the coast cliffs.  We had a blast, climbing the lookout tower, exploring the underbellies of a rotating gun mount, exploring the barracks rooms, spelunking in a well and, for me, seeing the open Atlantic for the first time.  That night we watched 24, had chili, and relaxed for the night.

Bryan

1 week down, many adventurous weeks to go! Stay tuned. -JP

What Would I Be Willing To Give?

On the other side of the world, as I type this and as you read these words, there are some people writing history in a capacity we can only imagine. Day after day, they love. Through the good, the bad and the very ugly, they choose love. Because love is the only thing that is strong enough to reach into those places, the only thing strong enough to pick people up and help them move on. They are quiet, dedicated heroes whose actions have challenged many of us to ask ourselves, ” What would I be wiling to give?”In all honesty, if you are Canadian, the concept of compassion may not fully infiltrate your conscious thought. Compassion. One word that means so much. To some, it is a symbol of a child on their kitchen fridge door- a monthly commitment they value and look at with pride and hope. For some, it is reaching out to the hungry, the hurting, the lost. To others, it means giving what you can monetarily or even with your time. That’s fair. It should mean all of those things.But in our world of consistent, affordable healthcare, affordable insurance, honorable civil servants and well-paid practitioners, compassion may not be fully understood. When we see an accident on the side of the road, we stop. After all, we are compassionate, right? We help because we care – but we also help because it is the “right” thing to do. It may cost us time, energy and emotional distress to help out someone in need, but when that ambulance arrives we don’t worry about being the ones that have to pay for it, or the hospital stay that will ensue. When our social net shows up or kicks in to take over with someone less fortunate, we are relieved because we know it will be taken care of. We only worry about the important stuff like everyone being ok. This is a luxury that we, the rich of the world, enjoy – the ability to be “compassionate” without too many strings attached.Picture this: you are a young child. Very young. Too young to be anywhere by yourself let alone locked in that room with strange, cruel men coming and going, doing inexplicable things to young children. Things that you can’t even bear to think about. Hour after hour, day after day, you are victimized, brutalized, humiliated and exploited. You can’t remember home, and it is gettting harder and harder to remember your mother’s smile. Every time you try to conjure it up, you only see pain, betrayal, loss. Will anyone ever find you? Will anyone ever come to rescue you? Is there ever going to be life beyond these four walls again? Will you ever be able to learn how to write your name, how to play with a simple toy, how to be a part of a family again? Can you even remember what it is to be treated with kindness? Imagine what happens when one day that door opens, and compassion walks in.This is the story of many of the little faces we have loved, the hands that we have held and the laughter we have joined in with on our Hero Holiday Thailand trips. They are able to laugh and trust again because some incredible people have embraced compassion at the core of what it can be: to risk all for the sake of love. Many of the workers in this area have helped to rescue these 100+ kids from sexual slavery and exploitation. They have loved when it cost them much and they have paid a high price for that love. The cost has come in monetary value, living conditions, even heartbreak. In this place, compassion is without judgment, bias, or fear. It loves when it knows love may end in heartbreak and it loves in the hopes of a successful outcome. These men and women are leading the way, behind the scenes, in the homes that we support there and where we have the honor of working. Some of them have been rescued from the same horrors that they are now fighting, some of them have come from far away because they believe in a better future for children that the world does not even know exists, and some of them work there because they know their voice and their hands can work toward change.And every time I work alongside of them and experience the power of seeing lives changed at the grassroots level where we come to help, I am forced to look in the mirror and ask myself, “What would I be willing to give?” It’s an incredible place to be.You can join us this August in Thailand – it’s not too late to change your summer plans! Why not invest two weeks of your life in bringing hope and love to lives that are desperate to understand it? Check out our Thailand trips at www.heroholiday.comI would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. ~ Thomas Aquinas

What! At School on Spring Break?

 On March 15th our Mexico Public Spring Hero Holiday started. Participants from all across Canada met in San Diego to start their Mexican Adventure. While down south, this team is rebuilding a school that was destroyed during the some deadly flooding to the Baja in January 2010. Here is their take on the first day on the work site:

Today was my first time on a work site and I enjoyed it a lot. Coming into Mexico I had such mixed feelings. I was shocked to see the difference when we crossed the boarder into Mexico from the US. There was a major difference! I was excited and happy to be going to Mexico but was saddened and depressed when I saw the homes and how people live here. I had no idea this morning when I woke up what to expect but I was thrilled with what happens on the work site. We started today with the wall frames and painting. The weather was very hot with a breeze of the ocean, so it was bearable. The people living around the job site were eager to help which I thought was amazing because people in Canada hire people to always do the work for them. Even though we could barely understand each other, we appreciated each others company. I am really looking forward the work we will complete tomorrow.

~ Melissa, a participant here in Mexico

We made it! 8 months ago this was just a fantasy.. but here I am today standing on Mexican soil. And I wouldn’t spend my spring break any other way. So far this experience has been happy, sad, scary, beautiful and just all around amazing. And we still have another week! Everything about Mexico is different than Canada. I am amazed at how lucky we are and how luxurious our lives are compared to the locals here. It has been quite a shock and a good wake up call for me. The people from Hero Holiday have been nothing but wonderful! The SOL students are so great and very welcoming.Today was our first day of building. It was so much fun to be a part of the building process of a whole school. We got a lot accomplished in just one day. Despite the blistering sun, we managed to get up two walls and cut all the boards for the other two walls and the roof, which we will build tomorrow. Along side many of the local mothers and children we painted the trim and doors a vibrant blue to match their vibrant personalities.Now its time for dinner (tacos!) and some Rn’R…~Anna, enjoying Mexico

Update on Arroyo Seco School

If you have joined us on a Dominican Republic Hero Holiday, chances are you know who Pastor Garcia is and you are familiar with the Arroyo Seco school project. Many of us have memories of laughter and camaraderie as we worked together, brick by brick, cement shovel by cement shovel to help make a community’s dream come true: the dream of a school for their children and for their future. That dream has become a reality through the help of hundreds of Hero Holiday participants since 2006, and we are excited to announce that our school is now recognized by the Dominican government as a certified private school! As well, their entire community project is now a recognized Dominican foundation, another part of the success of working together.There are over 100 students at the Arroyo Seco school, many of them able to go to school for the first time because of your hard work! The school is now running from junior kindergarten to grade 5, with students aged 3 to 15. Many of the older students have never had a chance to go to school before, so they are just as excited as the younger ones to have a chance to learn. Thanks to the generosity of some Canadian friends, our school now also has a computer lab, something that these students are completely new to but eager to learn on.The best part about certification for the school is that they are now part of a standardized curriculum that requires consistent reporting and accountability – something that is lacking in many schools across this tiny nation. These students have many hopes and dreams and many of them are a result of education.For those of you who were a part of the love, sweat and tears that went into the Arroyo Seco Community School project, this is your success.Thank you!

Penticton Trip in a Nut Shell

 Over the past couple days life has changed from docile, boring, everyday experiences to the extraordinary. We have been introduced to life in Mexico. From the building of family’s home,  to playing with the young children, who happen to be very friendly and open with us. It has been an eye-opening few days we’ve had, and we will not forget or recount on them lightly.We arrived in Mexico last Monday at midday. we had previously boarded the plane through Allegiant Air. It was beautiful, the clouds looked like giant marshmallows, the sky bright and shinning as we flew over the tiny cities bellow. After the flight we arrived in San Diego and took the white bus to a Mexican buffet. Then, after we were stuffed and ready to relax, we were driven to the KOA campground where we had fun in the pool and then slept over in their log cabins. When we arrived in Mexico at the Hero Holiday house we were introduced to the other student leaders, most of them we already knew. It was a happy reunion, there were a lot of stories to be retold of one another’s experiences. The next day we began the build at the first house. We were introduced to the family, the father, mother, and their five children, the youngest being only a month old. We started by building the four walls and the roof the first day; then, because of the rough winds we had to leave raising the four walls and the roof until the second. We shingled the roof on the third, and did the finishing touches on the fourth day, all the while playing and being entertained by the kids and the local Mexican people. Some of us went to the school for ESL and taught English, we were given instruction from the student leaders and Teachers.Last night we had A dance party at Don Diego’s with another group from Victoria .The them was 80’s. It was a blast!Today we built a building for one of the churches in town. It was up by 2:00 pm. The Mexican people there helped build it with us and afterward they painted it with us as well. It was a fast build. It was so much fun playing with the kids and interacting with the people there. At lunch time we were served hot tamales and noodle salad while watching some of the church members and kids perform. They used tambourines and danced to the rhythm of the Latino based christian music. It was all in spanish. Even though most of us, including myself, could not understand it, it was still very beautiful and moving. We finished and headed back home for dinner.Now I am here writing this to you and hoping tomorrow is just as amazing as today. Thank-you for reading and good tidings, your fellow Hero Holiday volunteer,Lisa Marie Dianne Brunin. =)

Norbertico’s Dream

The Arroyo Seco school and community centre was built by hand – many hands from around the world. It started with one man’s vision to educate a community and it has done that. But it has become about more than that. It has become a place of hope, signifying a future that people dared not even dream about until now. It is a place where people have come to learn how to work together for a future for themselves and their children, something they never had before.Seven years ago, when Garcia found that little community of 80 families in the outback of the north coast of Dominican Republic, he was shocked that hardly any adults knew how to read or write. Their children were also uneducated and they were plagued by all of the evils that accompany ignorance: violence, intolerance, and exploitation. He started with the adults, teaching them to read and write, and in time he convinced them of the need for them to invest in their children’s future by making education a priority for them. When Vaden and I found them three years later, we had no idea how far reaching the dream would take all of us – perhaps most of all, Norbertico.Norbertico is an unmistakable part of Arroyo Seco. As the only paraplegic in the community, he is a little hard to miss. But there is something about his eyes. Yes, they are kind, but they were also shy – as if to ask you if you would notice him and let him know you cared. And when you did notice, it was always worth it to watch his face light up with the pure joy of being loved.At the age of 3, on a motorbike with his dad after dark, they were side swiped by a drunk driver – and Norbertico took the brunt of the hit. He was paralyzed from the waist down, left without any hope of ever walking again. Difficult under any circumstances, but as one of 6 hungry children to feed at home that survived on less than $2 a day, he was sent to live with his grandmother in her rickety house, perched on a mud hill off the road. Though she is without an education and unable to read or even write her own name, she loves Norbertico with her entire being and when the opportunity came to go to the school that we had just built, he was one of the first students signed up. At the age of 11, he had his first day of school and it became the first day of the rest of his life.Norbertico’s world became full of learning, friendship and involvement in a community of people who, through education, began to seek ways to understand him and help him succeed. And that is why this past Monday, as I sat in front of Garcia and heard about Norbertico’s story, I could still have hope. Recently, Norbertico had begun to pass blood – and lots of it. His family had been unaware that his kidneys had been irreparably damaged by his accident many years ago. As his body grew more frail he also contracted dengue fever. The community came together to help, and collectively sent him and his grandma to the Santiago Children’s Hospital. Here, this past week, they have been informed that he has holes in his kidneys, and the only hope is a kidney transplant. His family has to buy blood for him, at the cost of $60 per pint, and this is only possible because of the sense of community that has developed in Arroyo Seco through the school that Hero Holiday participants have built. Our LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) staff has also pooled our resources together to help Norbertico, as we believe in him and believe in his future. He is a gift and he deserves to know that. Currently, Norbertico is being assessed for a transplant and will hopefully be a recipient of healthy kidneys very soon.Without one man’s willingness to dream of what could be, we would never have found out about a little outback community in Dominican Republic called Arroyo Seco. Without the hundreds of Hero Holiday participants we would never have been able to commit to building something that could completely transform a community. And without the support that has built up around that school, Norbertico’s family would never have made it this far. He is not alone through this and he is loved – because he belongs.This is what hope looks like and this is how lives are changed. This summer, we are working in Arroyo Seco, helping to build a kitchen for a meals program that is much needed and we need you! You can be a part of something that is changing lives and building futures. Check out how to join us in Dominican Republic at www.heroholiday.com.

Penticton Students ‘Back At It’ In Mexico

“Viva la Mexico!! We have arrived – made it through a few army check stops and the border crossing – “red light green light” experience. We had to get off the bus collect our luggage then one at a time push a traffic light button – if it turned green you just walked on through – red – they made you stop  and get your bags checked (just ask Deryn) but they let her come with us!The drive down was amazing with a stop for Taco’s along the way.It is soooo greeeen down here – so much rain but unfortunately serious wash outs everywhere.We are now settled in at the Hero Holiday House and enjoying the “home” atmosphere.The weather is windy, damp and chilly but the “bus boggin” is great.The house building has begun and the TEAM is awesome. The roof panels and walls were completed and tomorrow the house will rise from the ground and either stand or be carried off in the wind currents.One amazing event today was the witnessing of Jim working as it was too dusty for him to see the rake handle to lean on. However, it was reassuring to see him understand the nature of the work. Way to go Jim. Clark, you would have been proud of him.Well, as you can see we are not having much fun but this TEAM is truly amazing and today they proved their worth through the building and ESL teaching at the school. Stay tuned for more amazing stories.Les Clarke – Group Leader