Jazz And Baseball Combine Under The Stars

Among the Dominican baseball greats who will be attending Jazz Under The Stars With the Legends of Baseball on June 6 are Juan Marichal, Cesar Geronimo, Rafael Landestoy, Jesus Alou and Mario Soto.

Besides the company of some of the Dominican Republic?s best known legends, this very special evening in the exotic ambience of Las Terrazas del Mes?n de la Cava includes the live music of Eric Litman & Wavelength, as well premium cigar samplings, sensational appetizers, spirits, fine chocolate treats, exciting raffles, and other surprises.

The event is a benefit for the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (DRSEA) whose mission is to educate young and gifted student athletes in the Dominican Republic, develop their baseball skills, and give them the tools to succeed in life. Through a rigorous educational component, the DRSEA will prepare young boys to have the chance for scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities.

Date: Friday June 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Las Terrazas del Mes?n de la Cava
Address: Avenida Mirador Sur No. 1
Prices:
US$50 (RD$2,200) - includes hors d?uvres, one hour open bar (Chivas), cigar tasting, and live concert
US$75 (RD$3,300) - includes hors d?uvres, one hour open bar (Chivas), cigar tasting, a Gift Bag, and live concert
 
My name is Charles Farrell and I am the cofounder of the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy whose mission is to educate young and gifted student athletes in the Dominican Republic, develop their baseball skills, and give them the tools to succeed in life. Through a rigorous educational component, the DRSEA will prepare young boys to have the chance for scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities. The DRSEA’s goal is to build a state-of-the-art sports and education complex in the Dominican Republic.

While I am a "newbie" on this site, I have lived in Santo Domingo for five plus years trying to develop a state of the art sports and education academy. The Dominican Republic is baseball crazy; thousands and thousands of boys chase the dream of playing in the majors. The reality is that only a scant few make the majors. Many drop out of school at 13 or 14 and find themselves out of baseball by the time they are 18 or 19, uneducated and unskilled at anything but baseball. My goal is to prepared some of these kids academically and athletically to receive scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities. They still have a chance to succeed in baseball, but if that fails, as it fails for 98 percent of those even selected by baseball teams, then they will have an education to fall back on.

The school opened a year ago with 15 students in San Pedro. I even got to teach creative writing at the school, an experience I will save for another time.

We wanted to expand to a full time school by next year, hence the need to raise money.

The Jazz Under The Stars event is a chance to meet some of the greatest Dominican baseball players of all time as well as help to provide some kids with a chance for an education.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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There are over 100 Dominicans playing in the Major Leagues in the USA, why not ask THEM for a few of THEIR millions in support????
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RG84

Bronze
May 21, 2010
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There are over 100 Dominicans playing in the Major Leagues in the USA, why not ask THEM for a few of THEIR millions in support????
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Good question. Still I applaud anyone who moves here and tries to help in some form, instead of just bitchin everyday!!

Sometimes you need an outside element to make a difference. Look at some of the best schools here.

Seems like it will be a nice event, I know the venue is great and I get to meet some legends from my childhood. Free Chivas and Cigars, yeah that's a win win.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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I am MORE than sceptical when I see a post about people wanting to do"Good Deeds" here in the DR!
ESPECIALLY when they derive personal income from their "Good Deeds"!
This post in NO EXCEPTION!
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Tickets to the event are $50 & $75 dollars, THAT's not "FREE"!
You want a "FREE" drink, Free Food,& some "FREE" cigars, come visit me!
 

RG84

Bronze
May 21, 2010
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I am MORE than sceptical when I see a post about people wanting to do"Good Deeds" here in the DR!
ESPECIALLY when they derive personal income from their "Good Deeds"!
This post in NO EXCEPTION!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Tickets to the event are $50 & $75 dollars, THAT's not "FREE"!
You want a "FREE" drink, Free Food,& some "FREE" cigars, come visit me!

True not free, but you are getting something and helping at the same time. Find out more about the program before you trash it.

Is your offer unlimited drink, food and cigars? I'm on my way. You run your AC all day right?
 
Get Your Facts Straight!!!!

I am MORE than sceptical when I see a post about people wanting to do"Good Deeds" here in the DR!
ESPECIALLY when they derive personal income from their "Good Deeds"!
This post in NO EXCEPTION!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Tickets to the event are $50 & $75 dollars, THAT's not "FREE"!
You want a "FREE" drink, Free Food,& some "FREE" cigars, come visit me!

You really need to have your facts straight before you come out swinging at me. On Opening Day this year there were 82 Dominicans on MLB rosters, not over 100.

Second, the efforts of my organization are to address the lack of education for the thousands who fail to make it to the major. And, of the few hundreds of Dominican boys who do get signed to teams, only two in 100 get to the majors. With odds like that, I am trying to see that at least some of these kids have an opportunity beyond the scant odds of succeeding in baseball.

And you sure don't know me well enough to question my motives and to accuse me, wrongly, of deriving personal income from this fundraiser. My organization is recognized as a nonprofit both in the U.S. and the DR. You are welcome to check that status, but then again, you don't seem to be much of a fact checker.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
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Okay guys, back to your corners. Let's give DRSEA the benefit of the doubt for now. It sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

Charles, the fact is that we've seen a lot of scammers in DR, so you can't blame us for being cautious. Tell us more about the organization, where it's incorporated, since when, etc. How many students in the school, etc....
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
3,512
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www.vipcigartours.com
I can personally attest to the validity of the DRSEA. I have been working with Charles and the organization as an advisor for several years, so I can also speak to his motives, which I assure you are NOT personal gain. He and the rest of the Board of Directors put in a lot of time, money, and effort for this cause.

And CC...where in Charles' posts did you see any mention of personal income being derived from the sale of tickets to this fund-raising event?!?
 
Origins Of The Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (DRSEA)

Okay guys, back to your corners. Let's give DRSEA the benefit of the doubt for now. It sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

Charles, the fact is that we've seen a lot of scammers in DR, so you can't blame us for being cautious. Tell us more about the organization, where it's incorporated, since when, etc. How many students in the school, etc....

The Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy was incorporated August 29, 2007 in Delaware; we received the equivalent nonprofit status in the Dominican Republic in 2013.

By way of background, in 2000, I headed a delegation sponsored by Major League Baseball to take a look at baseball academies in the Dominican Republic. We found conditions deplorable, with kids sleeping on moldy mattresses, eating cheese sandwiches three times a day, and?..not notable to us, no sort of education programs, despite the fact that many kids drop out of school at age 13 or 14 to pursue the dream of baseball.

As a result of our report, MLB opened an office in Santo Domingo at the end of 2000 to provide oversight on its teams? academies. Things have greatly improved over the years, with modern facilities, proper nutrition, but education has been lacking, though there have been some recent positive changes affecting a few teams.

In 2004, I put together a conference in Juan Dolio on Latinos in the Sports Industry, and included a segment for top Dominican baseball prospects on acculturation, how to pick a sports agent, and financial planning. The first question asked by one of the players was ?How do I open a bank account?? It was then that my partner, Harold Mendez, and I decided we had to do something because here was a potential millionaire who didn?t have a clue and Major League Baseball as banking its future on kids just like him.

So that is how the DRSEA started, as a way to provide educational alternatives and opportunities for some players. Our main goal is to provide the academic and athletic support to enable kids to qualify for baseball scholarships in the U.S. Some may still have a shot a baseball stardom, but if they are like the vast majority of those in the DR who aspire to big league careers, they will fail on the diamond. But a college degree will give them the educational background for a successful life.

In the five plus years I have lived in the DR, I have also been an advocate for education for baseball players in the DR. Kids can sign at age 16, but people forget these are children and the pressure on them to succeed is enormous, and the failure that most meet can be overwhelming. There is an expression kids use that if they don?t succeed in baseball, ?the devil takes you away.? These kids think they have failed not only at baseball but at life, and that is almost criminal to have a system that has kids feeling that way, believing their only chance for a successful life is through baseball.

We opened the DRSEA with 15 students in January 2013 in San Pedro de Macoris; classes continue today with an emphasis on English, supplemented with other like skills. Hopefully, if fundraising is successful, we will expand to a full curriculum by 2015.

Anyone who lives in the DR for any length of time knows how the school system is. We aren?t trying to replace the school system; just offer a different model for some kids in this baseball crazy, baseball rich country to have an opportunity for an education and bring it back to a country that needs well educated people to make a difference in the Dominican Republic.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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Best to you. Back in the day those baseball academies were awful. I am sure the OP knows this and is being kind when describing conditions. My spouse's cousin was there about 17 years ago and the stories he tells are unbelievable. And oh yeah he didn't make it and those English classes they said they offered...well he must have absent on those days. He always came home on the weekends weighing less than when he left. Wish you the best.
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence. This project is my passion. Baseball in the Dominican Republic relies on the blood, sweat and tears of 16-year-old boys with little or no education and all I am trying to do is create an additional opportunity besides baseball. For more information on the DRSEA you can go to DRSEA | Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy | DRSEA | Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy. Check out my newsletter if you get a chance.

If you are on Facebook, check out: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417575955180438/?notif_t=plan_user_joined
 
My name is Charles Farrell and I am the cofounder of the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy whose mission is to educate young and gifted student athletes in the Dominican Republic, develop their baseball skills, and give them the tools to succeed in life. Through a rigorous educational component, the DRSEA will prepare young boys to have the chance for scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities. The DRSEA?s goal is to build a state-of-the-art sports and education complex in the Dominican Republic.

While I am a "newbie" on this site, I have lived in Santo Domingo for five plus years trying to develop a state of the art sports and education academy. The Dominican Republic is baseball crazy; thousands and thousands of boys chase the dream of playing in the majors. The reality is that only a scant few make the majors. Many drop out of school at 13 or 14 and find themselves out of baseball by the time they are 18 or 19, uneducated and unskilled at anything but baseball. My goal is to prepared some of these kids academically and athletically to receive scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities. They still have a chance to succeed in baseball, but if that fails, as it fails for 98 percent of those even selected by baseball teams, then they will have an education to fall back on.

The school opened a year ago with 15 students in San Pedro. I even got to teach creative writing at the school, an experience I will save for another time.

We wanted to expand to a full time school by next year, hence the need to raise money.

The Jazz Under The Stars event is a chance to meet some of the greatest Dominican baseball players of all time as well as help to provide some kids with a chance for an education.

Only a few days left until Jazz Under the Stars and tickets are going fast. Secure yours today by calling 829-505-2991 or by e-mail at contact@drsea.org. This is an event you do not want to miss.

Date: Friday June 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Las Terrazas del Mes?n de la Cava
Address: Avenida Mirador Sur No. 1
Prices:
US$50 (RD$2,200) - includes hors d?uvres, one hour open bar (Chivas), cigar tasting, and live concert
US$75 (RD$3,300) - includes hors d?uvres, one hour open bar (Chivas), cigar tasting, a Gift Bag, and live concert

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417575955180438/
 

RG84

Bronze
May 21, 2010
640
0
16
I meant to post this awhile ago, highlights from the great night of jazz, baseball and cigars:

[video=youtube;UmVEcXoNtug]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmVEcXoNtug[/video]