Yesterday, we visited the orphanage and we met some really great people. Since it was the first time any of us had ever been to an orphanage, we weren’t really sure what to expect. Despite their disabilities, each of them were more than happy to see new faces and make new friends. One boy […]
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Today on the day of team three’s garbage dump visit we all woke up bright and early, got a bite to eat and then started out our day with an emotional talk with Christal. She talked about the price of human life and us some stories about her Hero Holiday experiences in Thailand. […]
...continue readingToday I had the privilege of taking a walk around one of the villages where our work site is located. This is my second year on a Hero Holiday and I have returned once more this July as a summer intern. The last time I had been to this village was a year ago, […]
...continue readingMy parents have protected me incredibly well as a child, preventing me from any danger in the Philippines, and as well as Canada but I forget that children, are just children and although they live in poverty they know what is wrong and right and that they also know how to show their love […]
...continue readingThis 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 […]
...continue readingYouth Making a Difference Fund Raiser JUNE 4, 2009
Published by April 9th, 2009 in Mainpage and Featured. Closed
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 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
Our friends from the other side of the country have arrived yesterday in one piece. Tina Smith and her group of students from Newfoundland’s Booth Memorial Secondary School arrived safe and sound after 12 plus hours of traveling. One of their first requests was to put their feet in the Pacific Ocean. So, […]
...continue readingToday was Dedication day, the day when we say our goodbyes to the families and hand over the keys to their new homes. Our group has gotten to know Maria, her family and all of her neighbours really well over the past week. We have seen that Maria is an extremely friendly and […]
...continue readingGift Day
Hey all, it’s Kristi again and I have to say I have really enjoyed getting to meet all the participants this past week and I am honored to have the privilege to report back to Canada what’s been going on down here. =) The house’s are all built and the families are all […]
After working hard for 4 days, we hit the weekend and time for some fun! Although everyone had lots of fun interacting with the families, they were all glad to get a day of rest and relaxation. Or…something like that. I don’t know how relaxing scaling a volcano is, but it’s definitely a […]
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