LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have proudly extended their community relations efforts to Campo Las Palmas, the club's home in San Antonio Guerra, Dominican Republic, through the club's "Dodgers Love D.R." program.
The program encompasses all of the club's community efforts in the Dominican, which currently include extending the club's LA Reads literacy initiative to the Dominican Republic through a partnership with the DREAM Project (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring). With the DREAM Project, the Dodgers recently hosted the second annual Campo Las Palmas Summer Camp, held their first of three book fairs of the year through the Dodgers' My Very Own Library Program and will continue to welcome participants in their Dodgers Young Stars Program for year-round extracurricular educational programming.
"We're proud to expand our literacy initiatives to the Dominican Republic and partner with the DREAM Project to host year-round educational programing at Campo Las Palmas," said Stan Kasten, Dodger President & CEO. "Community involvement is a core principal of the Dodger organization, and we cherish the opportunity to positively impact our local communities in Los Angeles, Glendale, San Antonio Guerra and throughout the country in partnership with our minor league affiliates."
A full overview of each program is below:
Campo Las Palmas Summer Camp
The Dodgers' Campo Las Palmas Summer Camp just finished its second annual session, with 85 students receiving over 50 hours of math and literacy instruction during the three-week camp. The students, ages 8-14, were chosen for the camp after being identified as needing additional academic support by their teachers. This summer, the focus was to strengthen reading skills, while also providing students with new experiences, including art, sports and science activities. According to DREAM, during the inaugural camp session in 2017, nearly two-thirds of the 67 students gained at least one reading level during the program, equivalent to half a year's academic growth.
Dodgers My Very Own Library
Another extension of the club's LA Reads initiative, the Dodgers' My Very Own Library Program was launched in 2017 to support a collaboration between DREAM and the My Very Own Library Foundation, which provides public school students in low income settings with 10 books every year to build a home library. The program will hold three book fairs this year, two of which will also include a workshop with activities and games that promote a love for reading. DREAM currently works with 2,000 students to distribute over 25,000 books in seven communities every school year.
The program has shown dramatic results, with 92% of students involved in the program reporting that they enjoy reading according to DREAM. Their survey also showed that 96% of students in the program had read a book in the last two days, including 83% who had read with a parents.
Dodgers Young Stars Program
A year-round extension of the Summer Camp, the Young Stars/Estrellas Jóvenes is an extracurricular educational program that supports students from local public schools. The program reaches students ages 8-15 through in-school reading intervention programs and extracurricular programming on Saturdays, and aims to significantly increase their practical educational skills, literacy, math, sociocultural development, critical thinking skills and the ability to be self-taught. Currently, the Dominican Republic places below average for world standards on the scale of development and poverty.
Students in this program will also participate in the monthly program called "LA Reads with the D.R." which is meant to form bonds between students in Los Angeles and the Dominican over a shared love of reading.
"Dodgers Love D.R."
The Dodgers were the first MLB team to open a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, and have a rich history in the country. Last year, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the facility's opening, the Dodgers unveiled extensive renovations at Campo Las Palmas, which expanded the campus to 10 buildings that house 96 players, 19 coaches and support staff. In addition to upgrading the training facilities, offices and housing for players and staff, the renovations also featured four classrooms, a kitchen to continue the team's commitment to nutrition and Jackie Robinson Hall, a movie house that uses English-language films to enhance the language learning program.
The team also has a long history of giving back to the local community through its support of the Futuro Vivo School for almost two decades. Campo Las Palmas also has a community field for little league play near the entrance.
A media kit with photos from the team's recent summer camp and book fair is available for download at the link below: https://ladodgers.sharefile.com/d-sf465d0193b1424eb.
About the Los Angeles Dodgers:
The Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, with six World Series championships and 22 National League pennants since its beginnings in Brooklyn in 1890, is committed to a tradition of pride and excellence. The Dodgers are dedicated to supporting a culture of winning baseball, providing a first-class, fan-friendly experience at Dodger Stadium, and building a strong partnership with the community. With the highest cumulative fan attendance in Major League Baseball history, and a record of breaking barriers, the Dodgers are one of the most cherished sports franchises in the world.
Visit the Dodgers online , follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Dodgers. For media information, visit www.dodgerspressbox.com.
About the DREAM Project:
The Dream Project is an innovative non-profit organization built on the philosophy that the only way to end poverty in the Dominican Republic and in the global community is through quality education. DREAM has become one of the most effective and visible organizations that work in the education field. All together, the DREAM Project has worked with 28 different communities, offering 15 quality education programs to more than 9,000 young people and more than 12,000 members of the community.
We believe that an early and continuous quality education is the most effective way to end the poverty cycle and create a change of destiny. Our vision is that all kids born in the Dominican Republic will have the same opportunity to receive a quality education and learn to their maximum potential. We hope that our efforts will multiply and create opportunities for the gifts of every child. Our objective is to break the cycle of poverty and change each person's destiny. Our dream is to create a better world for kids and families for generations to come.
The DREAM Project (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring) is a non-profit organization registered in the Dominican Republic and the United States 501 (c).