2010 Beneficiaries

Dominican Crossroads $4,500

This charity is headed by Bob and Jana Amelingmeier who devote their lives to feeding the homeless impoverished people in the outskirts of Cabarete. They feed the families and find sponsors to relocate the homeless into small concrete homes. Each home has running water and a toilet and costs $3,500! The KB4K 2009 donation was used to help start up a recovery building and to pay for surgeries for people who cannot afford it. The recovery unit houses 12 beds, a dining area, outhouse, and an outdoor shower. Part of the $3000 also helped build a school room in the public school in Caraballo. Walls, a floor, a roof, a staircase and a door were installed.
www.dominicancrossroads.com

Kids Alive $4,500
This is an international non-profit organization which builds and organizes schools all over the world. There is a Kids Alive school in Caraballo, a few minutes drive from Cabarete. Kids Alive has found approximately 500 sponsors for the local Haitian and Dominican children in this area. The children are learning reading, writing, math and other subjects. The sponsored children receive medical immunizations, one meal a day, uniforms, books, and a future! Each child is sponsored for $35/month. The KB4K 2009 donation was used to complete two classrooms in the new wing of the Park Care Center, allowing the school to expand from 200 to 300 children.

DREAM $2,000
The Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring (DREAM) Project provides quality education for children born into poverty in rural areas and small communities of the Dominican Republic. The Dream Project Library offers check-out services, access to the internet, computer classes, and literacy tutoring. Through various donations, the school library boasts over 3,000 children’s books. www.dominicandream.org

Mariposa Foundation $2,000
The Mariposa Foundation is located in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. They advocate for poor children and their families living on the North Coast by confronting the barriers that prevent them from emerging out of poverty - disease, hunger, gender inequality, lack of shelter, clothing, job skills and education. To donate to the Mariposa Foundation or to find out about other ways you can help, please call 829 707-6880.

3 Mariposas Montessori $2,000
A Montessori school that  co-creates with children, parents and teachers a unique early childhood development program which provides the children of our community with a critical foundation needed for educational success and a healthy life.

The Wishspring Foundation $1,500
Wishspring focuses its efforts on small, goal-based projects. Each project has a specific set of needs that have to be met. Wishspring strives to create goals that are sustainable; any assistance given, shall last far beyond the time spent directly working with a group or community. The first project is a small primary school for kids in the city of Cabarete on the north shore of the Dominican Republic. They need more classrooms and safe transportation for their steadily growing student body.
www.wishspring.org

Pablito's Kids $1,000
This after-school program teaches kids how to swim and windsurf.

Sosua Kids $1,000
This program buys uniforms and backpacks for the underprivileged school children who cannot afford these items. The KB4K 2009 donation went towards school uniforms, shoes, school bags and school supplies for 200 children.

Ruth Plaut Kindergarten $1,000
In 2005, Dr. Gideon built the Ruth Plaut Kindergarten and Community Center on his property in La Mina. The goal of the center is to create a space where children can conceive learning as an adventure and not as an obligation from as early as possible and to give children of this local rural community a start in their scholar career equal to private kindergarten and preschools. The basis of this education will be equal rights, promotion of democratic principles and a child-centered education.
The Ruth Plaut Kindergarten and Community Center currently serves 30 children in the kindergarten.  In the afternoons the center is busy with three English classes a week, a computer course and an art class that serves approximately 150 youth on a weekly basis.
For 2010 Dr. Plaut has committed to working with a group of local youth to develop the first “green community” in the Dominican Republic.  His new initiative will require funding and much of his time.  The Ruth Plaut school is sustained with contributions from private donors, non-profit organizations and Gideon himself.  With the funds raised for Ruth Plaut from KB4K, Gideon will pay the Dominican teacher’s salaries at Ruth Plaut Kindergarten so that he can focus his efforts on a feasibility study to begin more eco-projects in the community of La Mina.  With funding from KB4K Gideon will be able to fund the salaries of three permanent Dominican teachers who are from the community of La Mina. 

Carlos David Martinez' Family $500

Total $20,000