Build a Home - Work Alongside Local Contractors

I participated in my first Live Different build at the age of 14 and the experience was so eye opening and educational it changed my life. I remember getting off the plane that July in 2010 and not knowing too much about what I was getting into, where I was going, and the impact this trip was going to have on my life.

After a few days of getting used to our accommodations, we got to work. We began building a home for a wonderful lady named Mystica. The construction work consisted of mixing bags of cement with rocks and sand, stacking bricks, and tying rebar. With plenty of opportunities to take a break, get to know the community, and enjoy the experience. The community we worked in was very accepting to all of the volunteers and treated everyone exceptionally.

Our final day in the community we presented Mystica with her brand new concrete, sturdy, and safe house that she would be proud to call her own. I've often said to my friends that the hug and thank you received on house dedication days are most powerful and heartwarming exchanges of humanity I've ever experienced.

Since my first build in 2010 I have completed 3 more and am planning on going back for my 5th in the summer of 2019. The experience never changes and holds a special place in my heart. You will not regret going on a Live Different Build!!

I participated in a house build with McBride Secondary School back in March of 2016. The experience in itself was amazing! Everything from meeting locals, to eating local cuisine, to playing jump rope with the young children was incredible. It truly made you think about how different your life is compared to place in poverty. An incredible moment of the trip was being able to bond with those who travelled with you. Coming home, I talked and socialized with people who I was never close with with. I highly recommend the program to any one. A few tips are to start fundraising early. Although the cost is for an amazing cause, it adds up quickly! For future participants, I just want to highlight that if you go with an open mind and heart, you’re definitely going to leave a little bit of yourself there. I see pictures all over the place of house builds and it takes me back to a time that I will never forget. A place of discovery, happiness and love!

It's been two years since I was in the DR, but it feels like yesterday. When I went, I was fresh out of college and high on myself, figuring I'd take this volunteer vacation and gain some good karma...little did I know how much those 10 days would change me.
My entire perspective on life has changed and it started on that first night when Cole said "being one person, maybe I cant change the whole world, but by deciding to dedicate my time, and my energy, I WAS going to change the world, for a whole family".
It's hard to come back to Canada and all it's luxeries and complain about minor inconveniences when you've got the image of the world's happiest kids in the back of your mind, and knowing that those same kids have next to nothing to go 'home' to.

The staff at Live Differnt are incredible and really relay a sense of family when you work with them. I've been lucky enough to work with some of them since my build when I joined the LD road team last year - another positively life changing, eye opening, heart warming, inspiring journey.

When you work/volunteer with Live Different, you leave heart happy.