Santiago de los Caballeros. Wednesday, January 8, 2025.- The Jesús con los Niños Volunteer Group celebrates 28 years of service this January, achieving two major projects: inaugurating the first Surgical Sterilization Center of the Doctor Arturo Grullón Regional Children's Hospital, donated by PROCIGAR, and beginning the construction of the Jesús con los Niños Family Home, to offer shelter to low-income relatives in the North region, whose children receive treatment at the public center. The event was attended by the First Lady of the Republic, Raquel Arbaje.
The first Surgical Sterilization Center donated by PROCIGAR is worth 14 million pesos. Litto Gómez, president of the association, reported that through the annual auction of the Procigar Festival, they have collaborated in the treatment and recovery of hundreds of children and adolescents with various pathologies, including oncology, orthopedics, nutrition, and severe burns.
“It is an honor for Procigar to inaugurate the Surgical Sterilization Center and announce the contribution to the ‘Hogar Jesús con los Niños. Our commitment to the health and well-being of the community is a priority, and we believe that these collaborations are essential to build a better future,” said Gómez.
Hogar de Familia Jesús con los Niños
With free accommodation during the recovery time of minors and all the amenities that guarantee their safety and comfort, the Hogar de Familia Jesús con los Niños will have 14 rooms. The estimated cost of construction is RD$70 million pesos.
Vilena Comas, treasurer of the Volunteer Council, reported that the institution took the initiative to carry out a project that lightens the load and elevates the dignity of children fighting cancer and other health challenges.
"The Hogar Jesús con los Niños will be the shelter for families who move to Santiago from remote and difficult-to-access places, so that their children receive medical treatment, which often forces them to sleep on the floor, if their children are in the ICU, to abandon cancer treatments or long-term treatments because they have nowhere to stay," argued Vilena Comas.
The infrastructure will have 14 multipurpose rooms, two spaces for immunosuppressed patients, common areas, a playground, laundry and a picnic area, which allow reflection and distraction for patients.
The direction of the Volunteers thanked the donors and collaborators of the first stage of the Hogar Jesús con los Niños: Raquel Arbaje, First Lady of the Republic, Lucy Doughty, president of the Doughty Family Foundation, Procigar, Doctor Juan Tapia, National Association of Asphalt Producers, Swedish Match Dominicana, golfers and sponsoring companies of the Saving Lives tournaments. They also encouraged the community to contribute to reach the goal and cover the overall cost of the project.
First-class tools
Xenia Gell de Álvarez, president and founder of the Jesús con los Niños Volunteer Program, said that by equipping the hospital with first-class tools, the world of the children is changed.
"Volunteering is the bridge that unites the needs of the hospital with the generosity of the community. Putting on that apron has meant working shoulder to shoulder with this hospital, knowing its needs and making them our own, being a voice and uniting the wills of public and private entities in favor of the community, for the good of the future: the children of our country," said Xenia Gell.
Sustainability
The Volunteer Program's fundraising department, led by Carmen German, works to develop the support structure for the operation of the home, focusing on corporate donors and collaborators.
It will be a residence with a pleasant atmosphere, with individual rooms, a kitchen and a series of common services, where children have the opportunity to feel “at home” with access to their family and friends, in a safe environment.
For these purposes, there would be a management team that guarantees service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a team of volunteers who carry out recreational activities and free time with the children staying at the house.
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