The Vice President of the Republic Presents Solidarity Volunteer Award

The Vice President of the Republic Presents Solidarity Volunteer Award
Santo Domingo, December 04, 2014

The Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, presented the Solidarity Volunteer Award to 13 Dominicans whose altruistic actions have contributed to the development of the nation and provided opportunities for the poor. The ceremony took place on Thursday.

The second edition of the presentation of this award, which the Office of the Vice President and the Alliance against Poverty promote under the slogan “Change the world… Become a volunteer”, took place in the Green Room of the National Palace, in commemoration of the International Volunteer Day that is held this Friday around the world. In the Dominican Republic this commemoration started last year, in accordance with the Dominican Volunteering Law 61-13.

In her opening remarks, Vice President Cedeño de Fernández highlighted how valuable volunteers are for the nation, and that, in her opinion, they represent the concrete realities that help change the country and the living conditions of thousands of Dominicans every day, through their hard, resolute and solidarity work.

“The desire to help selflessly deserves to be recognized. Also, society needs positive values, positive references, and this is just what we are doing here today: recognizing the value of our people, our Dominican people,” she said.

Cedeño de Fernández understands that volunteers make an invaluable contribution, both locally and nationally, which generates a positive feeling of solidarity, respect, humility and responsibility.

“Being a volunteer means having a caring heart, open in solidarity to the needs of the most vulnerable; it means to personally undertake the actions required to change the negative into positive; it means not knowing the meaning of the word itself because volunteers only think collectively. It is to love people for the simple fact that they are people,” said Cedeño de Fernández.

In addition, she welcomed the support received from civil society and youth organizations in order to make it possible to recognize the voluntary actions carried out in the context of poverty reduction, the promotion of education and health, the protection of children, youth and women, inclusion, natural resources, the environment and citizen participation.

She also urged volunteers of the Progresando con Solidaridad (Progressing with Solidarity) program to continue turning the progress of vulnerable families in this country into their life mission.

Dr. Cedeño de Fernández was joined by Prosoli Director, Altagracia Suriel; the Chair of the Movimiento Matrimonio Feliz (Happy Marriage Movement), César Curiel; and, on behalf of the program’s family liaisons, María Jiménez and María Esperanza Acevedo.

The Winners

The highest Solidarity Volunteer Award was won by César Curiel of Fundación Matrimonio Feliz, who, along with his wife, helps other couples to rediscover the love they have lost due to couples’ quarrels, violence, jealousy, among other factors.

In the category of Corporate Social Responsibility, the jury selected Wendy Ventura Naut; in the Community Development category it selected Luisa Medrano, from Santo Domingo Este; in the Health category, Liddy Aida Kiaty Figueroa, of La Romana, was selected; and in the Poverty Reduction category the award went to Teresa de Jesús Sánchez (Prosoli family liaison), from San Francisco de Macoris.

Luis Carlos López Calcaño, from Sabana de la Mar, Hato Mayor, received the volunteering award for his work in the preservation of natural resources and the environment; in the Youth category the award went to Emmanuel Rosado, from the National District; in the Inclusion category, Bennalice Katz García, from Sosúa, Puerto Plata, received the award; and, in the Participation and Citizenship category, the award went to Darlyn Antonio Bueno, from Constanza, La Vega.

In the Childhood category, Génesis Mañón, from Santo Domingo Norte, received the award; in the Culture category, the award went to Adelso Reynoso, from Santiago; in the Women category, Milagros Reyes, from Santo Domingo Este, received the award; and, in the category Education, the work of Luz del Carmen Fernández, from Salcedo, Prosoli family liaison, was recognized.

The jury consisted of representatives of Alianza ONG, the Advisory Board, and the Progressing with Solidarity program, who evaluated the candidates presented by 84 institutions.

The award was created in 2013 by the Office of the Vice President of the Republic, through Prosoli, to promote the value of solidarity in the Dominican society, by recognizing the altruistic work of the people.

Among the agencies that presented candidates were: the Integral Ethnic Foundation, DR National Bureau for Migration and Refugees, the DR Plan, the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO, the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic, the Social Pastoral Vicariate, World Vision, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Red Cross, the Dominican Federation of Municipalities, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Universidad Iberoamericana, and the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.

Also the Santa Lola Foundation, the National Youth Network, Profamilia, Civil Defense, the Association of Women in the Prevention of Cervical and Uterine Cancer, the Parenthesis Foundation, Las 37 por las Tablas, and the Dominican Student Federation, among others.

For purposes of the presentation of the awards, volunteering was defined as a mechanism of participation through which people who are motivated by an altruistic spirit get organized and put into action the values of cooperation and solidarity in the interest of the community, in accordance with the Dominican Volunteering Law 61-13.