An Awarness Tour…

 This year at the beginning of our trip, Hero Holiday has added an Awareness tour. The aim of this tour is to educate our participants on the Dominican culture and a brief lesson of it’s history. We also visited our some of past projects and work sites for 2009. It was a great day and really encouraged our teams and made them excited about the work they are about to complete!Here is some blogs from our participants about the day… “Today we started out by visiting the Jewish Heritage museum in Sosua. When the world turned a blind eye to the plight of millions of Jewish lives during the Holocaust, the Dominican Republic was one of the few countries that graciously and generously accepted them and offered them citizenship and land. Walking through the museum I felt that more than ever, we all had to do all that we can do help. When the Jews needed assistance, the Dominican’s opened their arms and at that moment I felt, like many others, that it was our turn to give any help we could. We then visited the municipal cemetery and when I say cemetery, I mean more of a plain burial group with simple crosses. I was shocked at how small the graves were, showing us that many of these people passed away before turning five.We visited Danica’s grave, who lay there at only eighteen months. She had been abandoned by her mother and found in a shack by the Hero Holiday people. She was brought to medical attention, but ultimately died and I must admit that by that p0int we were pretty emotional. To think that a child so young, so innocent, so in need of help died in a strangers hand without even her relatives or her parents to hold her through her last breath is pitiful and outrageously unjust.It was a quite and somber ride back to the resort for lunch and nobody really felt like eating. After lunch, we set off for a medical clinic where we met some amazing kids. As soon as I got off the truck, a young boy called Tandy jumped on my back and wore my hat. But what rang true to me the most was how undeveloped the medical care was. The medicine cabinet had more kinds of medication than the entire pharmacy and there were only three beds serving the entire community of about 3,ooo! Without a doubt, we were dismayed by how happy and appreciative these kids felt while we all gawked out what little they proudly owned. Needless to say, we finally realized how fortunate we are in Canada. By the time we had to go, none of us could say goodbye without holding back some tears. Our next two stops, Arroyo Seco and Congrejo where we saw the finished projects of Hero Holiday. They were outstanding and the people there couldn’t thank us enough. It made me, and all of us, feel that with every dollar and every ounce of effort put in there would be a smiling face and truly grateful person behind it.Today’s Awareness Tour was a mix of bittersweet moments and regrets that our broken Spanish could not convey what our hearts wanted to say to the kids and locals. It was very emotional, but I think it made us even more excited and determined about what we will accomplish in the next few days.”~ Alex, a participant on Hero Holiday DR# 1 The first full day in Dominican, teams were packed onto the trucks for the Awareness Tour. First stop for Team 5 was the cemetery. A lot of the graves were for children, something you wouldn’t see in a fully developed country. It was interesting to learn the different burial customs of the Dominicans. We visited Danica’s grave and heard her tragic but inspiring story from Christal. Her story was the inspiration for the medical clinic which we visited next, between the Dominican populated village of Nazareth and Haitian populated Redemption. We had a quick tour of the facility and talked to Phil and Donna who run it. Just up the hill we toured the school where children are sponsored to go. After lunch we visited Arroyo Seco outside of Sosua where Garcia and his wife run a school, in the same building as the community centre and church. The genuine care and compassion they have for the children and community was evident as we talked to them. The children there were quite excited at our arrival and friends were made easily. We also got to see a house currently being constructed for Garcia and his family. Next we visited Congrejo where Bernard showed us his awesome new building, a church community centre and school. Out back behind the building we saw where we will be building a community kitchen as one of the five HH projects this week. It was great to see throughout the day past HH projects and how the help was being used and making such a difference already. Last we visited the Sosua Jewish Museum. Dominican Republic was one of the few countries during the Holocaust that allowed Jewish refugees in across the border. It was great to learn the history of the area and see how much the Jewish population encouraged and popularized tourism in the area. After the museum we crossed the street to watch local kids play a baseball game. By the end of the day everyone was tired but had so many things to talk about. It was great getting to know the rest of the team and seeing poverty first hand. Many assumptions and expectations we as Canadians have about poverty were found not to be true. The kids and people we saw were not all sad and sorry for themselves. They were happy and so glad to see us. So now that we have a better understanding of the people, area and situation, we are prepared and keen to get down to work so we can give as much as we can and face surprises that will change us.~Natalie, Summer Intern

July 4th, 2009 – Today’s Events with Hero Holiday

1.   Registration and orientation day in Toronto for Dominican Hero Holiday!2.   GBC private charter group from Calgary is traveling down the Baja today and will arrive in Vicente Guerrero tonight as they begin their Hero Holiday in Mexico!

The Orphan Diet Vol #2

For those of you participating in the Orphan Diet for the month of June, thank you so much for all your help!  Donations are still coming in from all over the country!Here is another short video titled “There are two classes of people in this world”Thank you to everyone who is helping these children.  If you still want to get involved and help out, it is not to late.To donate to the Orphan Diet:

Mail Cheques and Money Orders to:Suite 400, 44 Hughson St. NorthHamilton, ONCanadaL8R 1G3*Cheques are payable to LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) (Please memo your cheques: ‘the orphan diet’)By Credit Card (by telephone)To make a donation via credit card, call toll free 1 866 432 4464

Haitian Orphanage Emergency Project Part 2 – “The Orphan Diet”

Some of you may remember back in December 2008 when the Haitian Orphanage Emergency Project was initiated. Thanks to the generosity of many, this Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti was able to continue taking care of 68 little children who were in desperate need. Those finances helped to buy food (which was their biggest need at that time, and may arguably still be their biggest need), school supplies, wood to make beds and paid the rent for the building they are in.Right now, “The Orphan Diet” is part two of a fundraising effort for the basic survival of these children. If you have not heard of the Orphan Diet, click here.However, we have an exciting announcement to make about this upcoming project: we have a generous donor that is willing to match every dollar given towards the Orphan Diet, up to $15,000! We could turn $15,000 into $30,000! This amount of money will go a long way to getting these children the help they need.We will be focusing on getting these children medical attention (many of whom have never seen a doctor in their lives), renovating and updating their facilities, buying some much needed food, and more school supplies. You can be a part of this! Within the next year, we are planning our first ever Hero Holiday Trip to Haiti! Please stay tuned to our website for applications, dates and pricing. This trip will be for anyone 18yrs of age and older.To join the Haitian Orphanage Emergency Project facebook group page, click here.To see the original video from the Haitian Orphanage Emergency Project, click here.To donate to the Orphan Diet:

Mail Cheques and Money Orders to:Suite 400, 44 Hughson St. NorthHamilton, ONCanadaL8R 1G3*Cheques are payable to LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) (Please memo your cheques: ‘the orphan diet’)By Credit Card (by telephone)To make a donation via credit card, call toll free 1 866 432 4464

Youth Making a Difference Fund Raiser JUNE 4, 2009

Last summer, my brother Sean and I visited the Dominican Republic with Hero Holiday.  It was an amazing, life changing experience!Using only pickaxes and shovels, Sean and I, along with another 120 teenagers and adults, worked on building a school and the foundation of a new house. On other days we worked alongside refugees at a dump collecting garbage. We wore long pants, ankle-high boots, and thick work gloves while the majority of the locals rummaged through filth in sandals and without gloves. We were able to double some of the workers wages for the day and their gratitude was more than evident on their smiling faces. The day we visited the orphanage for the physically and mentally handicapped was the hardest emotionally. With one caretaker for every five children, there is barely enough time to provide even the basic needs for these children.One little boy made a profound impact on me. I went to his crib and said “Hello”. When he did not respond I tried singing to him. I started quietly, with “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” He began to move his arms and legs slightly. Before long his arms were wrapped around me. He touched my face and encouraged me to keep singing. It’s true… “All you need is love”.There’s no feeling quite like waking up every morning knowing you’re going to spend your day making a difference in people’s lives. After having experienced this feeling, there is no way I could NOT go on Hero Holiday again. The “Youth Making A Difference” fundraiser will help make it possible for my brother, Sean, and I to relive this life-changing opportunity. A large portion of the proceeds will also go to the LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) organization to assist them in continuing to take others like my brother and I on Hero Holidays, just one of the ways in which they are helping to make this world a better place.We hope to see you there!~Melissa

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Life on a Hero Holiday is always unpredictable: there is never a shortage of crazy experiences and mishaps that you can’t wait to re-tell to all your friends. This trip is no different!We are back in Dominican Republic with about 40 medical and nursing students, one doctor, two dentists and a whole lot of enthusiasm! We have been doing medical clinics in the most unlikely of places: the dentists have had to compete with the chickens and cows for space to set up their borrowed pool lounge chairs from our hotel, the doctor has had to set up a sheet to examine some rather delicate situations, the students have had to sit in the sun outside of churches, schools, and open fields to take registrations, blood pressure and assessments, and the people they see are more than eager to get into the clinic! As the host for the trip, I have had my car start on fire (don’t worry, Mom, an over-eager local grabbed our teams’ clean drinking water and dumped it all on my engine to put it out!), I have led our team through the jungle on foot to get to a garbage dump to work with the people there that are collecting bottles and garbage for family provision, I have motorbiked through rivers that were up to my thighs, and I have sat with these teams and heard their stories, shared their laughter and tears, and dreamed with them of ways that we could make a difference both here and at home.However, with this team, there has been one marked difference: we have realized that not only is the world full of sad stories and tragedies, but it is also full of people that we can admire, that we can try to emulate, and that we can join hands with to see a better future. What can that look like? What can I do today that changes today and also tomorrow? This  group is full of questions and ideas, and it is exciting to hear what is happening in their minds and hearts as they soak up this experience and throw themselves into each new situation with such fervor and anticipation. This Hero Holiday group is like a pilot group for us as we look at how we can partner with universities and schools to specialize in experiences and opportunities, and it is proving to be highly successful…(whew!)One of the funniest things that has transpired is what happens in the health seminars in the evenings. After doing a clinic during the day, a small group returns to the community and performs health seminars with the locals from the community. We are realizing that simple concepts that we take for granted are brand new information when you are illiterate or very poorly educated. This week, in one of our evening sessions, the nurses were teaching about sex and sexually transmitted infections to young teenage girls. They focused on teaching them that abstinence was the only sure way of staying STI-free. In a culture such as the one we are working with, women are rarely educated about the consequences of unprotected sex, and they are even more rarely empowered to understand that they have a choice. So, in an effort to make the concepts stick, one of our participants helped them to learn a chant that had the whole village take notice.  At the end of the seminar, they girls shouted out “NO SEX, NO SEX” and their reasoning was in what they also began to shout: “If you have sex, you will get pregnant, or you will get AIDS, and then you will DIE! NO SEX, NO SEX!”…I guess they got the point!!However, outside the clinic where the seminar was going on, were some teenage boys…who looked pretty discouraged!!

Life as the Hero Holiday Nurse

My name is Nicole Dufault, and I am the Hero Holiday nurse. I have had the privilege of being a part of Hero Holiday in Dominican Republic since we first started coming here in 2005.  This is my third year running clinics during Hero Holiday, and this time is definitely a this time is a little different. I’m used to having high school students helping out, but this time… 40 eager nursing students, two dentists and one amazing doctor! It has been so much fun working with these students, challenging them, and where I can, teaching them, and forcing them to use their eyes and ears to figure out what is going on with a patient, because the reality is that unfortunately I couldn’t fit a lab or CT scanner into my suitcase, I think that would have put me over my 50 pound limit!

They have been rising to the challenge and impressing myself, a northern nurse of 10 years, and our physician….of a little more advanced experience 😉 They have been working in extremely hot conditions, where lighting is a luxury and heat is a non-negotiable. To date, we have seen over 500 patients, cleaned countless teeth with brand new toothbrushes and seen many teeth go flying as they were extracted!  The dentists have been sharing their work space with the local cows and chickens, kneeling beside the pool lounge chairs from our hotel, and with an eager audience of many sets of eyes watching their every move, and many patients  kissing them on the cheek in grateful thanks. But the best part of this whole experience is the comment I hear every day: wow, that was a great day!

D.R. or BUST!!

When we all woke up yesterday morning, we all thought we were in for a little bit of a long, but exciting day. However, no one ever dreamed the day would end up having 40 hours in it!We are currently back in Dominican Republic with a new first for Hero Holiday: 39 nursing and pre-med students, one doctor, two dentists, and our staff…and after 40 hours of being awake we are still going strong!We started our orientation last night in Buffalo, after some people driving as far away as 8 hours from the border to join us. In the middle of our evening pre-trip orientation in our hotel, Nettie, our Hero Holiday administrator,  received a call saying that our airline had canceled our flight due to weather in Buffalo. In fact, the whole airport was shut down. Now we were faced with a dilemma: we had tickets from JFK to Dominican, but no tickets to JFK…a quick negotiation with a bus shuttle company and two trips later, we found ourselves now sprawled out at 4:00 AM in the Rochester, NY airport, awaiting our new flight to JFK,  and on still no sleep…When we finally got to Puerto Plata, we shuttled to the hotel, dropped off our bags to get ready to go out on our awareness tour to see everything that we are about to be involved in, and out of nowhere: torrential downpours. (Did I mention we were out on open backed trucks?) But then, the crowning achievement of the 40 hours was the clutch going on the one truck in the middle of the road in the middle of the rainstorm, and the other truck getting stuck in the mud trying to get back to them…So, you may ask, was it worth it? And the answer, of course, is “Always!”. The group that is here is going to be doing medical clinics and working on a building project. Most of all, they are going to be experiencing what it is to make a difference. If today is any indication of what they are going to be like, I am already in love with them! They have not complained once when they were wet, tired, or hungry…they just kept telling us how excited they are to be here!And so, to all ourHero Holiday peeps that are with us for the next ten days in Dominican, we want to say that we are excited that you are here too, and that there is no one we would rather have join us for no sleep, unforeseen travel hiccups, broken clutches, torrential downpours, and the anticipation of what tomorrow can hold!

The Power of Change

It is incredible to see what a dream, many helping hands, and a lot of sweat can build! Hero Holiday Dominican Republic has had the privilege of seeing many amazing experiences, but perhaps the measurement of it all is in what is left standing after we have finished.In 2006, we came across a man with a dream, and realized that we could help that dream come to pass. When our CEO , Vaden Earle, met Pastor Garcia, it was beside a small square trench with a tent canopy over it, and it was a school, church, clinic, and community centre all in one. As he listened to Garcia tell him about his community’s dream to have a safe and sufficient school for their children, Vaden realized that we could do something to help, and so, in July of 2006, hundreds of teenagers set to work to make a community’s dream come true. Today, we can be proud of what we have accomplished together, as we see the results of our hard work, sunburned shoulders, and many incredible memories! There isn’t a Hero Holiday participant who doesn’t remember how to mix cement by hand, thanks to this amazing project! Today, The Arroyo Seco School has 80 students, and the number continues to grow as each year another class is added. Today, we see a building that is build from bricks and cement, but the foundation of it is embedded in a dream to see a community begin to get lifted out of poverty and be given hope for their future. To all the Hero Holiday participants who helped to make this a reality, we want to thank you and commend you for all your passion and hard work!In 2007, we were introduced to another community with a dream of also seeing their children educated and lifted out of the grip of desperate poverty. As we continued to work on our Arroyo Seco Community School, we also began a second project in Cangrejo, and in true Hero Holiday style, we threw the same passion and fervor into seeing another community being offered the chance to see their children educated and safe. The Cangrejo School project is really unique, as it will also be able to offer unlimited access for physically disabled students, due to the location and construction plan. We are excited to see it come to completion, and as we continue to partner with the community of Cangrejo, we are continuing to grow in our understanding of what it takes to change the future.This summer, as we have finished up Arroyo Seco, and continued to work on Cangrejo, we have added two more projects that we are proud to be a part of…In a small community called Nazareth, an organization called Dominican Advance was able to build an amazing school that is seeing 100+ students getting educated. However, in Dominican Republic, in order for a school to be certified at the highest level, they need to have a fence around their property, so Hero Holiday willingly agreed to partner with them for the manpower to get the job done! Starting this fall, the students attending there will now be receiving an education that is certified with the Dominican Government and that will open doors for them that didn’t exist before this. The project in Nazareth also involved helping to stock a clinic called Danica’s Dream, that has been built by our partners Phil and Donna Williams. The clinic serves this poor community with a doctor and with medication that they would otherwise be unable to access. Danica’s Dream is named after a little girl that Hero Holiday had the privilege of knowing for a few short days in the summer of 2007. However, her young life was taken from a simple and preventable disease, that had she not been in poverty, could have been entirely avoided. Danica’s life gave the inspiration for the clinic, and the building now stands as a testimony to how she impacted all of us.Our second new project this summer has been to help with a housebuild for our friend, Bernard. Bernard has worked with us in Dominican Republic since 2005 as a mason and interpreter, and he is a valued friend of Hero Holiday. Bernard also has a dream that he has been working on: a house to provide temporary shelter for street children and child soldiers. He has been working with orphans and children at risk for the past 5 years, and is now wanting to build a house where he is able to provide a safe place for them as they wait for what is next. Bernard’s project has been MUCH hard work, but MANY incredible memories! As he came to say good bye to our participants, he was at a loss as to how to express to us what it has meant to have this kind of help and assistance with building this house. However, we all understood and could see how thankful he was, because we saw it everyday in his life. As we have worked with him for the past four years, he has shown, time and again, how committed he is to helping the poor and exploited in Dominican Republic and Haiti, and we are proud to have been a part of this project this summer.Each year, Hero Holidy is full of amazing individuals who have realized the power of making a difference and that there is strength in numbers, and it is because of each of them that we were able to finish what we started. There are many opportunities that will come and go in each of our lives, but the opportunity to make a difference should never be overlooked. Thanks so much to all of you who have helped to build the future for these communities. You truly are heroes, and you really have made a difference!

Everyone has made it home!

On a previous blog, you would have seen that we were thrown a loop in our travel plans home from the Dominican Republic this July. Due to our flights being canceled out of JFK on July 27th, Hero Holiday found a more creative and yes, longer way to get all of the participants home safe and sound.Our eastern and central Canadian participants took a lovely road trip from New York City to Toronto. I am pretty sure that everyone slept the entire bus ride with the exception of a few snack and washroom stops. The bus pulled up to the Travelodge Dixon on Monday July 28th at 11am. After tears of goodbye and may group hugs everyone went on there way. Not that bad…The western travels had a much more drawn out, but more adventurous trip home. They got to spend the day in New York City, exploring it’s many wonders! On July 29th, all 25 of them flew from JFK to Buffalo then took a coach bus to Travelodge Dixon in Toronto. I met up for lunch with them and loved hearing their NYC stories. That night some of the less tired travelers went to watch a Blue Jay game. Early the next morning the team split with some going to Vancouver and others going to Edmonton. I am pleased to announce that everyone made it home in one piece!Thank you to parents for your co-operation and understanding as were worked hard to get your sons and daughters home. International travel can make things complicated but I think we worked out all the kinks.