BOCA CHICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance (MLB-DDA) teamed up with Chicago Cubs Charities Nov. 17 to donate $100,000 to support health and basic education activities at the Caobete Basic School and Education Center for Integrated Health (CESI).

“USAID is proud to team up with the Cubs, MLB and…Loyola and Creighton (universities) to help children and their families in the Northern region of the [Dominican Republic],” said James Watson, acting director of USAID’s Mission to the Dominican Republic. The donation will reconstruct, improve and equip the basic school of the Caobete community as well as the health facilities of CESI.

“USAID’s goal is to improve basic education and health facilities in developing countries,” said Watson. “With this alliance we are helping the northern region of the DR to have access to improved and better equipped services.”

Chicago Cubs Charities presented an additional $20,000. Hall of Famers, Ernie “Mr. Cubs” Banks and Billy Williams as well as current Cubs players Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Mármol attended and signed autographs at the event.

The combined donation will provide funds to construct, enlarge and equip the recovery room area of CESI. This will allow CESI to expand from a four-bed recovery room to a 15-bed recovery room. Creighton University’s Institute for Latin-American Concern and Loyola University Medical Center are long time partners with CESI, providing surgical mission teams to provide health services in the Northern Region of the DR. Both universities are providing funds for these activities.

The MLB-DDA was founded in November 2008 to tap the potential combined resources of baseball in community outreach programs in the Dominican Republic, a country which currently produces more than 20 percent of all signed MLB players. USAID provides financial support through a matching grant incentive fund.

For more information about MLB-DDA, visit www.mlb-dda.org. For more information about USAID, visit www.usaid.gov.