The Service Trip
Join us for a life altering service trip in January 2024
Looking for a way to build your college resume while seeing (and changing) the world? Come change your life while changing lives in January 2024. We are looking for student volunteers for this ultimate service experience”.
The team will travel to La Romana on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic in January partnering with MaranathaMission.org, DRMissionTeam.org, who have both run service trips for over 30 years, and ServOthers.org which was founded by Lauren Tyree.
During the trip, which is scheduled to depart on January 6 and return on January 13, we will be providing medical care, construction, and food distribution to bateys near La Romana.
Accommodations are in a secure guarded compound with a “boarding house” in La Romana, that has women and men staying in separate dorm rooms. The boarding house is a beautiful well-built space with marble tile floors, some air conditioning, and indoor plumbing (including toilets/showers), but it is rustic as Dominican infrastructure is not the same as we enjoy in the US. Because La Romana is an impoverished city we are always accompanied by local translators and travel in groups for safety.
The estimated cost for the week is $2,000 ($1,100 plus flights that currently run around $900 round trip). This fee includes all necessities of food, housing, transportation, and lots and lots of amazing memories. Financial scholarships are available for students in need, as no student will be turned away due to ability to pay. Additional spending money of approximately $50 for individuals to spend on snacks and souvenirs throughout the week is encouraged. Our group will be chaperoned by Ty Tyree with other chaperones identified depending on the size or our group. Our entire group will fly together with past groups having flown out of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Newark airports depending upon flight availability and costs.
*Please note… Risk of signing up after September include limited space, increased flight costs, and insufficient time to renew your passport which is required for travel to the DR.
To give you a glimpse of what this experience looks like, below are two videos a Saint Mark’s student made after a similar trip to this mission in July, 2023.
Insight from Lauren Tyree:
"I recently returned from an immensely rewarding experience serving in the impoverished bateys of La Romana, and I must say, you've got to go! I got to work as a pharmacist for Hatians, helped build a state of the art prosthetics clinic, and hung out with so many adorable kids who absolutely love playing with us! Having been three times myself, I can confidently say that you will change your life while changing the lives of so many others. I made tons of friends, built life-changing memories, and can’t wait to go back.
During my experiences there, I have helped over 500 people with medical services, painted houses, dug the foundation for a gazebo, and lugged cinder blocks for the prosthetics clinic. I love meeting the people we are working with and learning their stories. Like Graviel, an amputee who used to live in a batey, where he lost his right leg at a young age in a tragic accident with sugar cane machinery. He is now out of the bateys living in La Romana, where he is building a state-of-the-art prosthetics clinic to be able to serve over 5 million people, both in and out of the bateys, with free devices. But I think my absolute favorite part is the kids. One little girl clung to my leg for almost the entire day pleading for a ball to play with, "¿Tengo una pelota?" Another little boy, William, lives right next to the boarding house and loves to make friends with all the volunteers. He even helps me do my daily duolingo practice! The love I found in the Dominican is almost impossible to comprehend. There are so many people, both in and out of the mission that really appreciate our help."
Additional Information
Who are we helping?
Haitians in the Dominican are excluded from most freedoms and services in the DR but they frequently immigrate from Haiti for jobs and opportunities especially as workers in the sugar cane fields.
Tell me more about the partnering Missions.
Some of the construction accomplishments of our partnering missions (DRMissionTeam.org and MaranathaMission.org,) in the DR include rebuilding multiple batey communities, constructing a community pavilion, a stunning school in the barrio, and a the state-of-the-art Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana. The hospital is a full-circle institution. 40 years ago, a young boy’s pregnant mother died on the steps of a public hospital, turned away because she was Haitian and poor. That young boy, having dedicated his life to equal access to healthcare, is now the CEO of the hospital that he built with the Maranatha Mission.
What will we do?
During the trip, we will be providing medical care, construction, and food distribution to communities.
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Medical assistance includes taking blood pressure, counting medication, or entertaining children while their parents are seen by medical professionals.
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Construction work could be any variety of simple repair, renovation, or even new construction work on people's houses or a much-needed Prosthetics Clinic.
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Food distribution includes walking large boxes of rice and other staples through the bateys where we meet families and pray with them as we provide food and companionship.
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Other activities could include education, holding a carnival for local children, and other community engagement activities.
Will there be any free time?
This is not ‘volun-touring’. This is rolling up your sleeves and diving into the middle of it (with a safe, established infrastructure to support you). During the week, we will spend one afternoon at the beach with a little touristy flair - but, while the beach is stunning, it is not a resort in Punta Cana. It is paradigm shifting to see a stunning white sand beach in La Romana flanked by hovels instead of resorts. We may also have a pizza party at a home in a resort with a nice pool. But we are not going for the vacation experience.
What does an average day look like?
We usually get up about 7:00 and are in a prayer circle by 7:30 or 8:00 where we sing songs and share some thoughts about our experiences. Then we eat a big breakfast lovingly cooked by Tata and her team. After packing the bus with what we need for the day, we start rolling towards a batey for our morning project by 9 or 9:30. We often split into two groups – one that provides medical care and the other focused on construction. After working within the batey for the morning, lunch may be in a church, school, or even on the side of a dirt road in a sugar cane field. The afternoon normally continues the morning project but some days we divert to distribute food, visit a school that the mission built, or even spend an afternoon at the stunning beach on the south side of the island. In the evening, we return to the boarding house where we shower, eat dinner together, and spend our evening either packing food or medical supplies for the next day or socializing and playing soccer with William, a young neighbor of the boarding house who has practically become one of our team. On Thursday evening, we bring Dominican street culture into the boarding house with a small craft fair and locals who will braid your hair for a few dollars. This is a great way for us to support the community that we serve.
Do I need a passport?
Yes, valid US passport is required for travel to the Dominican Republic.
Do I have to speak Spanish?
No, local translators travel with us constantly. The translators become a part of the team and really make the experience come alive. The translators are also always ready to challenge our team members to work on our Spanish skills or help teach us some Creole. Learning Spanish with the translators is so much better than duo-lingo.
