The DREAM Project

11. Coast Guard sailors help ready DREAM camp
The message "you can change" is written on the wall of La Cienaga Public School and the 950 children attending will now have the opportunity to do just that, thanks to 25 sailors from the ship USCGC Thetis. This US Coast Guard Cutter Ship is docked in Puerto Plata this week and its dedicated crewmembers stepped off their boat and headed straight to the communities of La Cienaga and Colonia Nueva to give a hand. They skipped the fun and sun of Playa Dorada to help the DREAM Project and prepare two schools for the 2010 Guzman Ariza Summer Camp and School. The popular camp kicks off on July 1st with over 70 volunteers and 300 children, but after a long school year, La Cienaga Public School and the new Dona Flora and Benjamin Rabinovitch Learning Center in Cabarete needed a lot of help.
There were no working bathrooms at La Cienaga, no running water, little usable furniture or working doors, but that has all changed. The crew of the Thetis and DREAM Project spent all last Sunday repairing bathrooms, chairs, tables, desks, doors, installing water tanks, plumbing and painting. They also put the finishing touches to the new Learning Center in Cabarete, building gardens and planting flowers. Thanks to the sailors and their varied skills sets, they were able to make these two schools as good as new.
The Guzman Ariza Summer Camp and School, now in its sixth year, is a response to the lack of quality education in the north coast and throughout the country. It is the first camp of its kind offered for free and provides vital opportunities for children living in varying levels of poverty. The campers experience new adventures through excursions to places like Ocean World, the Puerto Plata Cable Car and the Centro Leon Cultural Center. They learn about racism and sexual health through sports, work in internships with local businesses, improve their academic performance with progressive methodologies, they study English, learn about their culture, the arts, the environment and basic health. The DREAM Project plans to cooperate with the US Embassy's Franklin Center, the Guzman Ariza Law Firm and local businesses to provide this amazing program to hundreds of deserving youth.
If you would like to learn more about DREAM or get involved, go to www.dominicandream.org.