LiveDifferent

Through the gift of flight, WestJet has provided assistance with domestic and international program delivery, business travel and fundraising activities across the organization. WestJet is also proud to offer LiveDifferent Build and Academy volunteers discounts on their air travel when booking flights for their LiveDifferent trips.

In partnership with LiveDifferent, WestJet launched its international Community Investment initiative, the WestJet LiveDifferent Builds program, in 2012. The WestJet LiveDifferent Builds 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 and lift families and communities in the Dominican Republic.

Through this initiative, WestJet has brought its caring culture to communities in the Puerto Plata area. Since the inaugural trip, more than 550 WestJetters have come together to help build 57 new homes. 

As WestJetters prepare for the WestJet LiveDifferent Build, they are also challenged to overfundraise dollars to go towards supporting community enrichment projects which LiveDifferent and local community leaders suggest to have the greatest impact. Since 2014, WestJetters have overfundraised an incredible $127,532.

Past projects include the refurbishments of playgrounds and basketball courts, support of medical clinics with equipment and supplies, funding the salary of a doctor for one year, purchasing land for a new boys and girls club/community centre, paving sidewalks and staircases to allow residents to safely move through the community, refurbishing houses, and the purchase and installation of a water well to provide consistent basic access to running water.

Funds raised also support the the Emergency Relief and Community Development Fund, which assists families and communities with unexpected hardships, such as medical emergencies, food insecurity, school fees, and disaster relief.

For this year's WestJet Christmas Miracle tradition, we partnered with LiveDifferent and sent a crew down to the Dominican Republic. Gifts were shared to meet the needs of residents in a beachside community, and we gave the neighbourhood kids a bonus surprise too. 

LiveDifferent was established as a Canadian charity in 2000 and began to operate internationally in 2005. From the very beginning, they have been passionate about making a difference in people’s lives through their youth empowerment presentations, humanitarian build programs and leadership development opportunities. LiveDifferent has spoken to more than 1.6 million students, built over 500 homes, schools and infrastructure projects and mentored more than 4,500 youth. As they’ve grown over the years, the one thing that will never change is their commitment to inspire those around them with value, purpose, and responsibility.

"The impact is far and wide — from the individual families who received their new homes, to the ripple effect on their surrounding communities and the impact on the WestJetters themselves — it's almost immeasurable really. The partnership that LiveDifferent and WestJet share is one that has been written about, it has been studied by others and is certainly something for which we are forever grateful. There is a lot to celebrate here. I would like to thank WestJet for journeying with us, for being our friends, and for working diligently alongside us and the communities in the Dominican Republic to ensure a true sense of symbiotic philanthropy is achieved for everyone involved."
— Charles Roberts, CEO, LiveDifferent