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Press and Newsletters
From The Puerto Plata Report:
News and regional information from Puerto Plata and the north coast of the Dominican Republic - Summer 2003
From Two Wheels to Three R's
Local Entrepreneur Makes a Difference for the Dominican Republic's Children
Iguana Mama may sound like one of those trendy fruit drinks on offer in your deli's cooler, but it really represents one local woman's dream and what it has meant to the children in the Dominican Republic's north Coast.
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| Tricia (left) and her efforts were recently recognized by The American Embassy in the DR when she received the annual Outstanding American Citizen Award. Seen here with Ambassador and Mrs. Hans Hertel |
The Dominican Republic is one of the poorest islands in the Caribbean. It is also blessed with a unique tropical geography and rigorous terrain -- perfect for exotic mountain bike treks. This was in part what drew Tricia Thorndike Suriel to the island. The Ithaca, New York resident has backpacked and ridden her bike all around the world. Once a teacher and the owner of a successful children's' ski school in Breckenridge, Colorado, she traded snow slopes for beach and moved to the Dominican Republic in 1992 to set up the Iguana Mama mountain bike company in Cabarete.
Iguana Mama has become much more than just an adventure tourism outfit though. While developing her business on the island, Tricia soon recognized the other important aspect that the Dominican Republic was blessed with - its people. She began to apply some of the profits towards supporting the youngest members of the population by funding school projects and scholarships. Since that time, over $400,000 has been raised in funding and in-kind support. She has since branched off from Iguana Mama and now concentrates on the project, now referred to as The Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project (DREAM) Project.
The wheels on the bikes may have gone round and round, but they always went forward, much like Tricia's drive and determination to lend a hand to the Dominican Republic's children.
For further information:
The Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project (DREAM) Project
P.O. Box 4136 Ithaca, New York 14852
Tel: 607-533-4656
Email: info@dominicandream.org
Web: www.dominicandream.org
2003 The POP Report www.popreport.com
Puerto Plata's internet magazine featuring news and travel information from Puerto Plata and the north coast of the Dominican Republic
Puerto Plata, República Dominicana
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