To celebrate National Volunteer Week, WestJet is featuring WestJetters who continue to make a difference both in their local and international communities. This year, we are highlighting our longstanding partnership with LiveDifferent and the impact of the Builds program. The WestJet LiveDifferent Build is a nine-day humanitarian trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic where 50 WestJetters immerse themselves in the local community to work alongside, community members, contractors, and translators to build homes to help lift up families and local communities in the Dominican Republic.
Since 2012, more than 550 WestJetters have fundraised to build 57 homes alongside LiveDifferent in communities in the Dominican Republic. The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is ‘Every Moment Matters,’, and we asked four participants from the 2023 WestJet LiveDifferent Build to share their experience and the impact that every volunteer can make. Meet our WestJetters:
Ngoc, Regional Manager - Airports, LiveDifferent volunteer since 2023
What inspired you to sign up to participate in the WestJet LiveDifferent Build program?
“I was born in a refugee camp in a rural area of Thailand. My family was very fortunate to have been sponsored to Canada and growing up here allowed me to fulfill many of my dreams. Although I could never repay the various people and organizations that have assisted us along the way, I pay it forward whenever I can. When I heard about the WestJet LiveDifferent Build program, I knew I had to sign up. Seven years later, I embarked on one of the most memorable trips of my life!”
Why is volunteering important to you?
“Volunteering fills my cup and brings me so much joy! I often feel as though I get more than I give.”
Tara, Cabin Crew Member - Inflight, LiveDifferent volunteer since 2015
What inspired you to sign up to participate in a LiveDifferent Build?
“Doing humanitarian work and volunteering abroad was something I had always wanted to do. I had an opportunity to join a private build group in 2015 in the Dominican Republic and fell in love with the concept. I returned the following year and became inspired to start leading my own team.”
How did volunteering on the WestJet LiveDifferent Build impact you?
“For the past nine years, LiveDifferent builds have impacted me in ways I never thought possible. I have become a voice for those who need help and have recruited volunteers. My experiences have taught me humility, as we are all one - just running the same race. It has taught me to be patient with myself and others and to be grateful for every single thing I have.”
Annette, Coordinator - Command Centre – Contact Centre, LiveDifferent volunteer since 2023
What inspired you to sign up to participate in the WestJet LiveDifferent Build program?
“From the very first Build that WestJet was involved with I just knew this was something I needed to do. I watched the video from the first WestJet LiveDifferent Build and it instilled my need to participate in this work. Finally having the chance to participate in 2023 was impactful on so many levels.”
What advice do you have for people looking to start volunteering?
“Find a cause that you can give your full and true self to. It can be local, or it can take you away from home, just be sure that it aligns with you and your values.”
Wade, Lead Inspector Crew- Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, LiveDifferent volunteer since 2023
How did volunteering on the WestJet LiveDifferent Build impact you?
“It reminded me that people who believe in a cause will work through any hardship and want to do more. I got to work harder than I have in a long time and came away smiling and watched our whole crew achieve things they didn't think possible.”
What is your favourite memory from your LiveDifferent Build experience?
“One day when we were working on building a staircase/sidewalk in the community, I was mixing concrete with a shovel on the ground and I looked up to see the community leader, the matriarch of the community, hauling buckets of concrete up the path in old flip-flops with the hem of her white linen dress caked in mud. Her leadership in the community was strong and her strength and pride were unmatched.”
WestJet is grateful to all the WestJetters who give their time and uplift their communities to make a lasting impact.