From Tricia Thorndike Suriel, the executive director of the DREAM Project

It is hard to believe that we are just starting our second year as the DREAM Project. As I stare at my “to do” list, I am astonished by the fact that we are nine months ahead of our schedule. That is right- by March of this year all construction goals for 2004 will be met!

We have a new office, new board members, and ten times more materials for our schools than we did last winter. Our computer lab is now up and running: the students, as well as the teachers, at the Puerto Cabarete School are all becoming computer literate.

Due to the additional classrooms in La Colonia School in Callejon de la Loma, school enrollment went up this year by 150 children in the town of Cabarete.

Many new schools have applied to join us under our umbrella. We even received a land donation to build a full educational center next to the Caraballo Haitian Batey.

Over the past twelve months, I had the privilege of meeting many diverse and wonderful individuals. I have corresponded with so many people whose generosity and interest have both gratified and overwhelmed me. For the first year of our organization, the response to the DREAM Project has exceeded all of our dreams (no pun intended).

I invite and encourage you to read our entire newsletter so that you too can take pride in what you have helped create. Now that we’ve met our construction goals ahead of schedule, we can focus on our real goal: educating the children of the North Coast. It is time to expand our volunteer base.  We are still trying to fill the bucket, so please spread the word. If everyone can get a friend or business associate to match what you have done, we will also be ahead of schedule this time next year.

I thank everyone who had the confidence to become a Founding Partner in this hands-on nonprofit; the DREAM Project is taking the Dominican Republic by surprise and is becoming a major player in the field of education. Read on...

Sincerely, Tricia

New Board Members

William S. Friedman (Board of Directors)

William Friedman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Tarragon Realty Investors, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARR) and has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and financial services industries. Since he has assumed full responsibility for Tarragon in 1992, its total assets and share price have grown more than tenfold.

Mr. Friedman is a graduate of Brandeis University and Columbia University School of Law. From 1965 to 1967, he and his wife, Lucy, were Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic. Mr. Friedman has lectured on real estate development and finance to graduate students at Columbia University’s School of Architecture and Urban Affairs, Pace University, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Kevin P. Manning (Advisory Board)

Kevin P. Manning, Advisor to the President of AES Dominicana, assists AES management in the recent reformation of their electrical generation and distribution investments, a project in the Dominican Republic with a budget exceeding US$800 million. A leader in corporate social responsibility, Mr. Manning received the 2002 Distinguished American Citizen Award from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the Dominican people. Active in educational support and school sponsorship programs, Mr. Manning currently serves on the Board of the Instituto Cultural Dominco-Americano and is Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Santo Domingo. Mr. Manning received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College, New York in 1957.

Dorothy Greenberg

After a long career working in an advertising agency, Dorothy Segal Greenberg is dedicating her invaluable skills and talents toward our worthwhile project for children.

Grand opening of New Office

We have a new office in downtown Cabarete. The owner and managers of the Patio Plaza offered us rent that we could not refuse. We thank Michel and Vanessa Albertini and welcome them aboard as Founding Supporting Partners.

We will be offering site tours to four of our schools every Tuesday at 9 am out of our office, due to the growing interest of prospective donors in our organization.

We would love to see all of you at our grand opening cocktail party on March 20th from 5:30-7:30

Guest speakers:

Kevin Manning
A leader in corporate social responsibility, Mr. Manning received the 2002 Distinguished American Citizen Award from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the Dominican people. Active in educational support and school sponsorship programs, Mr. Manning currently serves on the Board of the Instituto Cultural Dominco-Americano and is Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Santo Domingo.

Michele Wucker
Author of "Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola", Michele lectures frequently about the politics of race and culture on Hispaniola, journalism and literary nonfiction, and emerging-market finance and development. Michele Wucker is a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute in New York City.

Please come and take advantage of the opportunity to meet everyone involved in the DREAM Project, as well as to view photos documenting our progress. Mark your calendar today for Saturday, the 20th of March.

Cornell Service Trip

From December 29th to January 14th, a zealous group from Cornell University (two professors, eleven students, and the 13-year-old daughter of one the professors) worked from 8 am to 4pm everyday during their winter break from Cornell University.  Working side by side with Dominican laborers, they learned more about Dominican culture during their short three-week stay than many foreign residents do during their entire retirement here.

The volunteers mixed cement, carried blocks, hauled caliche and painted walls. They also provided a large portion of the funds used to build the new Libertad School (The Freedom School). As many of you may remember, this is the preschool, formerly known as Esperanza, in Sabaneta. Before our assistance, the bathrooms were merely three holes in the floor. Now we have running water to wash hands and two new classrooms! Our two volunteers, Wendy and Heidi from Belgium, are so attached to the children that they are extending their stay until the end of the year. The work and the training they provide for Nina, the Dominican teacher, are priceless. Our sister school, the EAC Montessori School in Ithaca NY, will help us, little by little, to turn Libertad School into the first Montessori school for poor children in the Dominican Republic! The name of the school was Esperanza (The Hope); however, soon that will be a name very few will remember since we are moving forward full speed at the Freedom School!

A special thank you to Hugh Gannon from Windsurf Resort for all of his work and time dedicated to this project.

Construction, Construction, Construction

We are laying foundations with generous help from Art Tarlow, Allene Klass, Michael Chase, and Richard Joseph Schecher, who all decided to up the ante and help us build four new classrooms, instead of only two, at Flavia Vidal’s CADI school in Islabon. This will allow the library at the CADI school to once again be a library. In addition, the new classrooms will provide enough space next year for the 8th graders and 100 more students.

The Caraballo Batey will also receive more than hoped for- instead of the small schoolhouse that we originally planned to build on the Batey, we have received a land donation from Crossroads, a Christian nonprofit organization. We will use our schoolhouse to teach children reading, writing, art and music, as well as both Spanish and English. Light for You from Canada has just donated two schoolhouses that will be constructed in March. Oportunidades for Ninos from Holland also made contributions and are working with us to build this center. This is truly an international collaboration, and the DREAM Project thanks everyone involved.

On March 8th, fourteen students from Lawrence Academy in Groton Massachusetts will come to begin the construction of the Caraballo Batey. Jay Dunn, an Alumnus of Lawrence Academy, provided funding. Jay was so inspired by the DREAM Project that he changed his family’s vacation plans in order to come to Cabarete in March to participate in the construction.

As many of you know, bathrooms and four classrooms were completed this summer at the Colonia School in Callejon de la Loma in Cabarete due to generous grant from the John & Leslie Taylor Foundation.

Western Union Donates 1,200 Books!

Western Union/Remesas Vimenca, donated generously to the DREAM Project. A donation of over 1,200 workbooks were hand delivered by Dra Margarita Sabillon to over 1,000 children in local schools on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Dra. Magarita Sabillon drove up four hours from Santo Domingo to meet the DREAM Project’s staff and personally deliver the books to underprivileged children. For most of the children, the donated books will be the first books that they have ever owned. The workbooks are in Spanish and have a world map as well as fun educational games.

Mae-Ronnie Carpenter , the Regional territory Manager of Western Union in Atlanta, made this donation possible. Carpenter visited the Dominican Republic last year and was touched by the people she met. A simple phone call and the desire to help got the wheels rolling. A second donation has been planned for the week of March 22nd.

Special Visitors come to Cabarete

In the first week of February, the children of Puerto Cabarete public school received a visit from a group of ophthalmologists. Dr. Desmond Parkin, Dr.Bryan Brause and Dr. Mike Mastrov examined the eyes of over 400 children and provided eyeglasses for all who needed them. They are already planning a follow up trip for next year.

News from Adam Kipp, Program Coordinator: Volunteers Bring Education to Life for Local School Children

Through the work of more than ten volunteers since September, the DREAM Project has made impressive contributions in local schools.

The newly built library at the Colonial Nueva School in the Callejon de la Loma community provided volunteers Marit Jacobsen and Ryan Carruth the opportunity to work with students on literacy, writing, and art projects, while allowing students to access books, encyclopedias and magazines.

Jennifer Wile, a Canadian volunteer with a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, took charge of organizing the new computer lab at the Puerto Cabarete public school this fall. Besides teaching computer literacy and writing to children at the school, Jennifer initiated a program to introduce teachers to the resources in the lab. Newly arrived Sara Schnitzer is now building upon Jennifer’s accomplishments and instituting new reading and writing projects in the school.

Heidi Dewil and Wendy Ingelbosch, year-long Belgian volunteers at the Libertad School in Sabaneta, have been teaching alongside local schoolteachers since their arrival in September. As if that were not enough work, these two volunteers have helped to completely redesign the school’s curriculum. Thanks to the construction of two new classrooms, bathrooms and sinks by the Cornell University student group, children (and volunteers) will now have access to bathrooms and a mosquito-free outdoor playing area.
 
As Program Coordinator for the Project it has been an immense pleasure to work with and learn from the incredible volunteers we have had during the past six months. As I have adjusted and grown into my role as coordinator, I have seen the volunteers do the same - the results have been amazing. The volunteers have quickly become the public face and heart of the DREAM Project and are known throughout Cabarete for their enthusiasm and devotion to the education and well being of the local children.

The Dream Challenge

The DREAM Challenge has been going strong since November! Jim Brennen, a father of two girls, 9 and 11 years old, initiated the challenge. He posted a message on debbiesdominicantravel.com challenging all visitors to the area to bring supplies.

We hope to keep it going all year so please add your comments to this amazing message board. Cut and past the following url into your browser and respond to the message from Scoobster entitled “ISSUING A CHALLENGE TO ALL! (Donate for the children)”

Go to the message board

Special Thanks!

The DREAM Project would also like to thank the staff at Vela Windsurfing School, who have become actively involved by donating a portion of their tips to help out. Their generosity will go a long way.

A generous gift was received from the Episcopal Women’s Group from St. John’s Church in the Lattingtown on Long Island. These funds will support the Volunteer Program and allow the DREAM Project to dedicate more time in training and recruiting much-needed volunteers. We are very appreciative of all of the support and energy that this parish has extended to our project.

Antoinette Calhoun, a foreign language teacher, at East Meadow School District on Long Island has and her Spanish classes participate in our newly developed pen pal program for the second year. This December her students included exciting individual gifts with their holiday letters to their pen pals at Flavia Vidal’s CADI School.

A very special thanks to all of our founding partners

Supporting Partners

Active Cabarete
Cabarete Beach Houses ~ Tel: (809) 571-0744
Carib Bic Windsurf Center ~ Tel : (809) 571 0640
Debbie's Dominican Travel
El Patio
Guzman Ariza & Asociados~ Tel: (809) 571-2880
Haciendas El Choco ~ Tel: (809) 571-2932
Home Key Management ~ Tel: (809) 571-0370
Hotel Sosua by the Sea ~ Tel: (809) 571-3222
Iguana Mama ~ Tel: (800) 571-0908
The Puerto Plata Report (popreport.com)
Remax Dominican Republic Real Estate ~ Tel: (809) 571-2604
Sea Horse Ranch ~ Tel: (809) 571-3880
Tele Cabarete
Thom Scheele- Club Med, Punta Cana
Vela Windsurf Center ~ Tel: (809) 571-0805
Velero Beach Resort ~ Tel: (809)- 571-9727

Partners

Alta Gracia - Amber Coast Adventures - Blue Moon– Cabarete Palm Beach Condos - - CAFE CITO –Daniel Foreman & the Duck Boat - DRpure.com - Hotel Caracol – Hotel Villa Taina - Juan Perdomo Century 21 - L'Agence Real Estate – laurel Eastman Kite Surfing School- Natura Cabanas - Otra Cosa Restaurant - Residencia Dominicana- – Villas de Oro - Wilson's Beach House - Windsurf Resort