This center was built through the collaboration of:
The Bishop of La Vega: Msgr. Flores- who shared with us his dream of building a special center on a piece of land that had been granted to his diocese. He wanted it to be a place that would meet the needs of so many children in the adjacent barrios who had no school and often times were “orphans of living parents.”The Franciscan Sisters in Dominican Republic- who provided leadership and direction for the school.The community of Barrio Villa Hollywood- whose children are the intended beneficiaries.A group of young adult leaders (Comité Educativo) from the neighboring barrio: San Martin- who addressed the educational philosophy and motivated the community to work and protect the Center together with the Franciscan Sisters.A group of prominent residents of the city of La Vega (Patronato)- who had a desire to give back to their community and collected funds for the Center.
The Franciscan Sisters in Dominican Republic- who provided leadership and direction for the school.The community of Barrio Villa Hollywood- whose children are the intended beneficiaries.A group of young adult leaders (Comité Educativo) from the neighboring barrio: San Martin- who addressed the educational philosophy and motivated the community to work and protect the Center together with the Franciscan Sisters.A group of prominent residents of the city of La Vega (Patronato)- who had a desire to give back to their community and collected funds for the Center.
Amor en Acción- collaborated with funding for the construction and continues to fund a meal program through the generosity of our sponsors here in Miami.
Since the opening of the first building in 1991, our collaboration in the Center has turned to addressing the nutritional needs of the children. The nutritional program here allows for sponsors in the US to provide monthly donations to fund meals for the most needy children. We also collaborate in sending school supplies to supplement the needs of students and teachers throughout the year.
The Center began operating with some 400 children and has grown in the last ten years to an enrollment of about 1,200. The Franciscan Sisters were later able to obtain commitments from other organizations to continue construction of other buildings. Today, the Center includes workshops in woodwork, baking, sewing, ceramics and beauty services, to serve as vocational training that complement the academic curriculum. In addition, the Center also includes a chapel, medical dispensary, library and an area for sports, which makes this one of the few schools in the area that has all of these facilities dedicated to the poorest children.
