U.S. Volunteer Spotlights: Kevin & Destinee

Kevin Lynch and Destinee Pray were part of the Elon University build completed in March.  We asked them to share a sentence or two about their experience:

“What I loved about Cambiando Vidas is how they fostered a strong sense of community and brotherhood between the volunteers and the local community, and in doing so facilitated the development of amazing relationships and experiences. Their staff always goes the extra mile to make the build a success for all involved, and they should be very proud of what they do.” – Kevin Lynch

“It was amazing to be apart of a community with so much life and joy even though they were so poverty stricken. They truly helped one another like a family and had such hope that things were getting better. They were so appreciative for everything we were doing. It was great to be a part of something so much bigger than myself.” – Destinee Pray

Dominican Volunteer Spotlight: Christian

There are countless community members who help out with each build in Las Charcas, but we wanted to highlight a few of the regulars with a series of blog posts.  We hope their unwavering devotion to their community will inspire you to help out in your own community, whether globally or locally.

Christian is the son of Monaro and Marlene Javier de la Rosa who received the very first Cambiando Vidas house that was built in 2007.

He, along with his younger brother, Alex, and his sister Natalie, have been regular helpers at all of the Cambiando Vidas builds in the Las Charcas community.  He and his brother will often leave for part of the day to attend school but will return, eager to help and work hard to finish each house.

Many recipients of Cambiando Vidas homes have continued to give their time and sweat equity to builds and help make the project one of community involvement.

2011 Highlights So Far…

With everyone transitioning into summer mode, we wanted to reflect back on the first quarter of the year and share some of our proudest accomplishments thus far:

• 25th home completed just prior to 4 year anniversary of organization
• 80+ Yale Alumni provided care and learning to the community
• Preschool moved to better serve wider community
• Countless lives changed for the better

Want to help us continue making a difference? Learn more about how you can get involved here.

Yale Alumni Make a Difference in the DR

This past month 90 Yale alumni, friends and family traveled to the Dominican Republic to work with Cambiando Vidas to not only build a new house, but also build up the community in other ways through the arts and medicine.  From March 12-19 volunteers helped with everything from medical clinics, public health education, kids clinics (art, sports, dance, piano, just to name a few), painting the preschool, and of course, building a house for a deserving family.

Get a first hand look at their day-to-day activities via the Yale Class of 1987 blog series.

Thank you to all involved in the planning and execution of the trip!

Inspirational Internship

Amy Story had the opportunity to serve as an intern for Cambiando Vidas this past December.  She shares her reflections on her experience below.

“When I look back over my relatively short time spent in the Dominican Republic it astounds me how much I experienced and achieved. From learning to deal with a significant language barrier, to spending time with people who swiftly turned from affable strangers to great friends, I am proud of everything I did and equally proud of those who worked with me.

Cambiando Vidas and the work that Jose does in the Dominican Republic is simply inspiring. The way in which CV communicates and works together with the local people is beautiful and the results are incomparable. What struck me most was the sheer respect felt between everyone on the work site and how the power of having a common goal meant that any hint of differences in language or background were quickly overcome.

One soon sheds their inhibitions of encountering a new environment in the Dominican Republic and I was especially able to see that with the Clemson group as they discovered and dealt with the same things I did just two weeks before.

Once the team arrived the build was completed in four days, which in itself is remarkable, and the result was a beautiful house for a beautiful family. The bond which was created amongst us all through this common experience was unlike anything I had ever felt before; and the physical product which came from such hard work was also a new experience.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so wonderful and I hope that Jose is able to continue to do such amazing work and that, equally, people continue to have the motivation and the inspiration to help him and the local people of the Dominican Republic achieve their dream.”

CV in CU Feature Story

Cambiando Vidas was recently featured in Clemson University’s Feature Stories section of the school’s website.  A group of 16 Clemson students built a home for a deserving family in December.  Their story, and testimonials are featured here:

Fiesta for a cause

The Cambiando Vidas team put on a fundraiser in true Dominican style last month.  The event, held Jan. 28, in Danbury, CT, was full of great food, friends and fundraising!  Merengue and Bachata lessons got everyone out on the dance floor and items from local businesses were hot commodities. The crowd of 100+ was able to truly celebrate the spirit of service and community.  Here are just a few moments caught on camera during the event:

Bachata and Merengue lessons!

Raffle items from local vendors.

Food...Dominican Style!

Do you want to get involved and help change lives? Find out more here.

Tales from the Tigers: Clemson Build Recap

The following is a reflection from build team leader, Jen Findle, of Clemson University:

I had the extreme honor and privilege of leading a group of 16 of Clemson’s finest Fraternity and Sorority members on a week long build in Las Charcas this past December.

We all feel so unbelievably blessed to have participated in the build.  We left feeling both refreshed and inspired by the ideals and visions of the Cambiando Vidas program.

This trip not only helped us to learn more about different cultures, but also about one another.  The build helped us to break the barriers between our various organizations as we worked towards our common goal of building a home for the most amazing and deserving family. We left feeling like a family that included not only Clemson students, but also all those who had changed our lives in the Dominican Republic.

I can speak for my entire group in saying that our experience with Cambiando Vidas is one which left us undeniably changed, but more importantly endelessly inspired.  We cannot wait to continue our relationship with Cambiando Vidas and the Dominican Republic in the future!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Photos on Flickr

Along with amazing memories, our volunteers come back with some incredible photos.  Check out our Flickr page:

Do you have photos from your build trip that you want to share? Please upload them on the page and help us add to our collection!

What exactly is “Mezcla”?

Mezcla is the Spanish term for a concrete mixture of cement and rock that is used to hold the cement blocks that form the foundation and walls of the house. If you ask anyone who has been on a build they can tell you they came to know mezcla very well as they mixed, carried, and poured it constantly during the construction of the home.

The name “mezcla” is also appropriate for this blog because it featuresthe ways in which cultures mix and come together to form a common goal – physically, a house, but emotionally and spiritually a meshing of cultures, experiences, and friendships that truly change people’s lives.