Cucuyos Prepare to Cross the Caribbean

Hello fellow phosphorescent creatures of the night sky!  I bring you transparency from the buena gente here at Cucuyo.  I want to include you in the recent growings of Cucuyo.  The whole program is really quite solid and I and others involved are still very much resolved. More info about the fundamentals of Cucuyo are attached along with this newsletter for printing and sharing.

Here’s what we’ve had our deditos in during the latest time vacuum:

1. Defining our May research expedition
2. Planning fundraisers
3. Selling 1000 faces local, direct and fair trade coffee (so much goodness packed into one bean!)
4. Selling those kickin’ Cucuyo t-shirts (get one if you haven’t)
5. Checking out Athens’ awesome theatre scene

Cucuyo has found many a like-minded person (Dominicans and Americans) lately which is very encouraging!  Lindsey Walker, director of Roots of Development Haiti met with Laura to advise her on building a non-profit that also operates over-seas and Oglethorpe High School math teacher Kate Hobgood invited me to speak to her kids and survey them.  Over at the University, Jorge Atiles, Associate Dean for Outreach & Extension, who is originally from the Dominican Republic and Sharon Gibson, multi-cultural extension specialist, took the time to meet with Cucuyo.   Many another person have also helped us plan the stops we’ll make on the research expedition en mayo.  Take out your mapa (or go to google maps like the rest of us) and we’ll hit the highlights!

May Expedition

Santiago de los Caballeros (North)
Gregorio Castillo is a community leader in Santiago.  He leads Comunidad Avanza, a grassroots organization whose purpose “is to develop cultural, technical, educational and social programming to promote significant changes in the development of children and youth from the marginalized south-side of Santiago. These activities will lead to a rapid betterment of the quality of life that is both voluntary and done in solidarity.” (Laura's summarized translation)  See their blog.

Pablo Ureña with student volunteer Will Leyman direct Niños con una Esperanza, an after school program for kids aged 6-16 started in 2003. Kids get help on homework for part of the day, and also get the opportunity to run around on the playground and use the mini-basketball court that was somehow squeezed into the somewhat tight space there. It is located in a much marginalized community, socio-economically as well as spatially. In fact, the only trash dump in Santiago (“El Vertedero de Rafey”) lies within 2 short blocks of the program which was started in order to give kids that are hired to dig through the trash for things of any value an alternative to their work. The kids really have not had any opportunity for the arts.  The performance arts are a big dream of Pablo’s for the kids.

Las Matas de Farfán (Southwest)
Margo is Dominicana and has resided in Athens for the past 16 or so years with her husband John who she met when he was doing work for the Peace Corp.  She, in cahoots with her family who live in the Dominican Republic has agreed to orient and help us investigate this region of the country.  Margo feels that where would be interest for the arts in her hometown or nearby which is something that yes!  Cucuyo can help with!

Others: Jarabacoa, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana.