This post is also available in:
The setting of Mrs. Xiomara Menéndez’s Bahía Minitas villa could not have been more picturesque for this past December edition of Café de la Leche. The founder of the Hogar del Niño charity brought a welcoming holiday spirit into every corner of her exquisite home. Little is as enjoyable as gathering with neighbors, seeing friends from out-of-town, and catching up on topics overdue.
With festive holiday decorations abound and merriment far and wide, it is no wonder why community members express this event as one of their favorite of the year. With eggnog a plenty, as well as cider and sangria, and a magnificent buffet of Christmas treats, the magical Christmas Café de la Leche did not disappoint, and nor did the generosity of the attendees who on this occasion donated candies that will be given out at the Hogar del Niño’s Christmas party.
These gatherings for the Hogar del Niño have been a way for the community to connect, pause busy lifestyles and put a pin in distractions. They’ve been a way for everyone to remember what’s important in life — the people, and how contributions both big and small make a difference in the lives of others. Our Casa de Campo community is like a family, we support each other through the good times and bad, and by helping the children of La Romana our extended family has grown.
During the activity, community members in attendance also could purchase Gabriella Reginat0’s new book “77 Recetas, 1 Decada” who as always contributed to the charity! Every month, over two-hundred babies in the Crib Room of the Hogar del Niño benefit from the milk and formula received from Café de la Leche events, and numerous donations throughout the year for the Patronato Benéfico Oriental contribute to children’s education, food, medical care, and extracurricular activities. Last week, the PBO inaugurated the new and modern expansion of Diagnóstica Social medical imaging center in La Romana which provides top-notch services to the Eastern region of the country.
We toasted with glasses of eggnog and cocktails to a wonderful end to 2019 as the sunset in the distance of Xiomara’s beautiful backyard that looked onto the sea. We were happy to have seen the efforts of the Patronato Benéficio Oriental flourish over this past year, and look forward to another excellent year in 2020! Thank you to everyone for your generosity throughout the year and attendance at Café de la Leche; we hope the new year is as bright and merry! Merry Christmas!
The following gallery of photos were taken by Yafranny Melo on Friday, December 6th at the Christmas Café de la Leche 2019:
[nggallery id=3298]
THE HOGAR DEL NIÑO
The Hogar del Niño is a children’s daycare and educational center for over 1500 children, located in La Romana town, just outside of Casa de Campo. Children from as young as just a few weeks old up to 18 years old are cared for and educated daily, from as early as 5:30am and staying as late as 7pm.
The organization also provides special schooling to over 75 hearing impaired and blind children, as well as a vocational school where over 235 students receive classes in different areas like: sewing; industrial preparation, installation and electrical maintenance; plumbing and management of computer office programs.
Contact the Hogar del Niño on:
Tel: (809) 523-8901 or (809) 556-3181
Email: info@pbo.org.do
Website: www.pbo.org.do
