The mother of a JetSet Club roof collapse victim has launched an educational foundation in her daughter’s memory. In a moving tribute to the memory of Alexandra Grullón, a victim of the tragic JetSet Club roof collapse, Melba Segura de Grullón has launched the Alexandra Grullón Academic and Cultural Fund. The new foundation aims to provide educational scholarships and support to survivors, and to children and young people who lost a parent in the disaster.
The launch event, held at a Santo Domingo hotel, was attended by Vice President Raquel Peña and other prominent figures, including Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella. The foundation’s board will be presided over by Melba Segura de Grullón and includes notable members like Milton Ray Guevara, Servio Tulio Castaños, Fernando Hasbún, and Ariel Ramos.
The 8 April 2025 tragedy at the JetSet Club claimed the lives of 236 people and injured more than 150. The fund will provide scholarships to vulnerable groups in society, and especially to those impacted by the disaster.
At the emotional ceremony, where Alexandra’s husband, Eduardo Guarionex Estrella, who also perished in the collapse, was remembered, the fund presented its first 14 beneficiaries. These are the children of victims, and they have been granted scholarships to allied universities, including PUCMM, INTEC, UFHEC, ISA, UNIBE, and others.
Vice President Peña spoke at the event, stated: “Through this foundation, the lives of young people will be transformed. They will become productive members of society, and in each of those lives that have the opportunity to have a quality education, the face of our beloved Alexandra will be reflected.”
The event included a retrospective on Alexandra’s life and her qualities of solidarity. At the time of her death, she was a project manager at Qik Banco Digital Dominicano.
The fund is envisioned as a platform of hope and solidarity. It seeks to open doors to learning and creativity, strengthening the social and cultural capital of the country by offering educational and cultural opportunities to those most in need.
Beneficiaries’ will receive admission, tuition, educational credits, and graduation fees.
Odile Camilo, the rector of UNIBE, spoke on behalf of the allied universities, thanking Melba Segura de Grullón for her “generosity and vision.” She called the scholarship program “a gesture of love and resilience,” turning the pain of loss into a work of hope. “What we are signing today is not just an institutional agreement, but a commitment to life, to youth, and to the right to education as a tool for dignity and progress,” she concluded.
The late Alexandra Grullón Segura is the daughter of the founder of the Banco Popular Dominicano, the largest Dominican commercial bank.
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El Dia
N Digital
25 August 2025