JetBlue personnel were active in Santiago and Santo Domingo East this month backing the Dream Project in educational workshops and cultural exchange activities. The airline is the leading passenger transporter to the DR.
Crewmembers visited the National School for the Deaf and Mute in Santiago and the Patria Mella Elementary School in Santo Domingo East. Crewmembers met the students and also donated laptops, inverters, batteries, air conditioning units, travel certificate tickets and books from the airline’s Soar with Reading program.
The two schools were chosen by JetBlue crewmembers from both Santiago and Santo Domingo, who live and work in and come from the same communities as the students. JetBlue and Dream’s press release says that the team had a great experience speaking to the youth about their careers at JetBlue.
JetBlue and DREAM have joined forces for the fourth consecutive year, bringing together crewmembers and JetBlue business partners, leaders from the airline, and local schools for a day of service, fun and appreciation. In addition, JetBlue will also distribute travel certificate tickets to four other partner schools in Santo Domingo, San Jose de Los Matos, Puerto Plata and Samana.
After a fun morning of workshops, DREAM Development Director Jonathan Wunderlich stressed the need for more companies operating in the Dominican Republic to embrace this model, supporting the public education system and doing their part. “It is such an honor to partner with JetBlue and to work with these amazing kids. We lined them up in rows with our JetBlue crewmembers, handed out wings, delivered snacks and pretended we were taking off in a plane. We ran activities that teach them about the Dominican Republic, the world around them and each other. After ten minutes, they were all laughing and eager to share their story. The supply donation is a critical need for these schools, but the exchange with the kids and their connection with Dominican JetBlue crewmembers who used to sit in the same seats in the same classrooms, that is the real community connection.”
www.jetblue.com/about/community/index.html and www.dominicandream.org.