[ARTICLE_IMAGE]Students and teachers from St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School in Ontario, Canada are making D.R.E.A.M.S. (Dominican Republic Educational and Medicine Support) come true!  Students are making a difference by traveling, working and living in the remote, mountainous Ocoa region of the Dominican Republic.

During the past six years, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School students and teachers have raised well over $100,000 and built thirty homes, as well as a teacher's residence and an elementary school.  The project's long-term goal is to build fifty homes. This amazing project is a life changing trip that gives students a first-hand experience of the needs of a Third World country and helps them to recognize that they can truly make a difference in the lives of others.

The opportunity to expose students to D.R.E.A.M.S. projects in both January and March each year is a profound learning experience. Although the working conditions are both strenuous and challenging, D.R.E.A.M.S. students build two homes each week for families most in need. Participants say they receive far more than they can ever give, because money cannot buy the sense of community and shifting of priorities that results.

Ian, a student at St. Mary's, describes the profound impact of D.R.E.A.M.S. :

"The Dominican experience is one I will always remember. Alongside the laughter of the beautiful children, the devastating cry of poverty can still be heard.  One thing this country has taught me is that we do not need all of 'this' to be happy.  True happiness that God intended, comes simply from friendships, family, the magnificence of nature, and above all, from love.  The motto of our school is, "Live, love, and learn", and we can do two of these at our school, living and learning.  But to truly love is to go out and show Christ's love to the world.  I guess this was the perfect opportunity for us to really put our words into action:  going to these children and families in the Dominican and showing that very love.  Thank you D.R.E.A.M.S., for teaching me what really matters in life.  I will remember."