Lindos Sueños, presented by JetBlue, will begin today Seventh annual trip will send 10 American teens to the Dominican Republic; JetBlue is the Official Airline of the Boston Red Sox.
News-Sports.net - Jul 27,2010 - For the seventh straight year, the Boston Red Sox and Lindos Sueños, presented by JetBlue, will send American teens to the Dominican Republic where they will perform community service and play baseball alongside 10 teammates from across the Dominican Republic. As in the six previous trips, the 20 teens will serve a community in need each morning and will spend each afternoon playing baseball at the Red Sox Dominican Academy. JetBlue donated roundtrip flights (direct from Boston to Santo Domingo) for all 10 teens and members of the Lindos Sueños staff.
In 2010, the Lindos Sueños participants- 10 American teens and 10 Dominican teens- will visit Futuro Vivo, a school located in the town of Guerra, which focuses on the education of children and families in the poorest communities. While at Futuro Vivo, the children will refurbish a baseball field, paint and repair outdoor furniture, and spend time with the children from the school. Futuro Vivo was created 20 years ago and today serves over 900 children in need from towns neighboring the Red Sox Dominican Academy.
Each afternoon, the program participants will play baseball together at the Red Sox Dominican Academy. The teens will practice on professional baseball fields, and will compete together against teams from neighboring towns in the Dominican. The participants' instruction will be overseen by Red Sox Director of Dominican Academy, Jesus Alou. Alou, a native of the Dominican Republic, played 15 seasons in the major leagues with the Giants, Astros, Athletics, and Mets, and at one time played in the same major league outfield alongside his brothers Felipe and Matty.
"JetBlue is proud to support Lindos Sueños for the seventh straight year," said Ronda McLeod, regional marketing manager at JetBlue. "We are strongly committed to each and every community we serve and are happy we can work with our partner, the Boston Red Sox, on a project like this."
After a nationwide search, applicants went through a process of essays and interviews to earn a spot on the team. Applications for this year's program were received from 23 different states. Each participant was selected based on their love for the game of baseball and proven commitment to community service.
Similar to the six previous trips, the program will be primarily funded by a donation to the Red Sox Foundation and from the Charles Engelhard Foundation. JetBlue, Banco BHD, and David and Tiffany Ortiz contributed to this year's program.
Below is a complete list of the 10 American teens selected to participate in the program. A photo of the American participants, departing from Logan Airport this morning, can be found attached.
Marcos Baez, age 18 - Boston, MA
AJ Crete, age 16 - Milford, NH
Derek Curley, age 17 - Milton, MA
Jordan Mata, age 17 - Biloxi, MS
Ryan Melendez, age 15 - Fresno, CA
Jeffrey Navarro, age 15 - Boston, MA
Jacob Semerar, age 17 - Westerville, OH
Steven Wallace, age 17 - Auburn, MA
Aaron Weinstein, age 16 - Newton, MA
Jake Yanchewski,
