Earlier this year, WestJetters Clifford (Cliff) and Lorry volunteered their time as part of LiveDifferent’s first-ever Wecheehetowin Group Build. The name Wecheehetowin, was chosen by the youth for its meaning: to help each other. Working alongside students from the Cree nations of Bunibonibee, Sapotaweyak and Nisichiwayasik in Northern Manitoba, the group spent one week in the Dominican Republic building a home alongside a local family.
As two community minded WestJetters, who are actively involved with their cultural roots, Cliff and Lorry were inspired to be a part of this first-time initiative and to share their experience.
During peak summer in Dominican, temperatures average around 40 degrees Celsius, making both living and working challenging in extreme heat, especially without proper housing. Throughout the build, volunteers spent their time moving cinderblocks, sifting sand, carrying buckets of water, and mixing concrete. Both Cliff and Lorry were inspired to see how the youth volunteering persevered and adapted to the unfamiliar conditions in the Caribbean. Together, they were committed to their goal of building a house and never complained or gave up when the tasks challenged them both mentally and physically.
Each day, groups participated in a community connection. During this time, students were welcomed into a community member’s home to sit down with a family, chat, and help cook a meal. When asked at the end of the week what the youth thought about what they saw in the community, their responses were all about the people’s character. They remarked on how kind and supportive the community was, always willing to help each other.
Based in Toronto, Cliff has worked at WestJet for 20 years. WestJet-wide Cliff has been instrumental in raising Indigenous awareness, speaking at Leadership Summits, and continuously engaging with various departments. As an avid volunteer, Cliff is also an active member of Hockey Cares, a volunteer group supporting youth hockey programs for Indigenous children. His cultural roots are Anishinaabe, specifically Ojibway from Northern Ontario.
Lorry is based in Calgary and has worked at WestJet for three years. She is a proud Cree Metis with roots in the Calling Lake settlement. She has been an active leader in spreading cultural awareness through hosting and participating on various Indigenous panels, along with leading an annual Truth and Reconciliation Ride on the Banff Legacy Trail.
WestJet is proud to support WestJetters like Cliff and Lorry, who continue to make a difference both in their local and international communities. In 2023, WestJetters from across Canada volunteered 36,295 hours, supporting causes near and dear to their hearts and creating a lasting impact in their communities at home and abroad.
About WestJet and LiveDifferent
As a National Partner, WestJet provides flight support for both domestic and international program delivery, business travel and fundraising activities across the organization. In partnership with LiveDifferent, WestJet launched its international Community Investment initiative the WestJet LiveDifferent Builds program in 2012. Which is a ten-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 up lift individuals, families, and communities. Since 2012, more than 550 WestJetters have volunteered to build 57 homes alongside LiveDifferent and have over fundraised more than $127,000 to support local community enrichment projects and contributed to the LiveDifferent Emergency Relief and Community Development Fund.