Americans Travel To Cuba With It's Just The Kids Inc. to Join Cuban Families To Build Playgrounds in Cuba.To download high-resolution, print-ready JPEG JPEG in full Joint Photographic Experts Group Standard computer file format for storing graphic images in a compressed form for general use. JPEG images are compressed using a mathematical algorithm. images, click on the thumbnail A miniature representation of a page or image that is used to identify a file by its contents. Clicking the thumbnail opens the file. Thumbnails are an option in file managers, such as Windows Explorer, and they are found in photo editing and graphics program to quickly browse multiple image above. WARNING: these images are very large (800K+) Click here for caption To download high-resolution, print-ready JPEG images, click on the thumbnail image above. WARNING: these images are very large (800K+) Click here for caption Photo Editors/News Editors/Assignment Desks NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2003 On May 17 a Boeing 717 charter aircraft will leave BWI BWI abbr. British West Indies Airport in Baltimore with an expected 100 enthusiastic volunteers who will travel to the controversial island of Cuba to participate in an unprecedented project to build three playgrounds in one week for the children of Havana. These volunteers will join local Cuban families to assemble and install new swing sets, climbing structures, crawling tubes, triple twists A supertwist variation that twists crystals to 260 degrees for improved clarity. See LCD. , turbo towers, infant playhouses and many more pieces of the latest playground equipment. This project was the idea of a west coast real estate entrepreneur, Bill Hauf, who, three years ago, formed a nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. foundation, It's Just The Kids Inc., for the purpose of fulfilling the unrealized dreams of Cuban children. Hauf's organization has joined hands with UNICEF UNICEF (y  `nĭsĕf'), the United Nations Children's Fund, an affiliated agency of the United Nations. to construct three brand new playgrounds in record time utilizing American volunteers joined in friendship with Cuban family members who live in the neighborhoods, where these playgrounds will be located. No PlayStation or Nintendo for these children, only simple conventional playground equipment that will take these children off traffic-filled streets to the safety of a brand new public playground. It is a quarter-million dollar project and a four-year effort to obtain approvals from both governments. Cuba may be miles apart in geography, but for one short week, through the first of several efforts of caring people and a common goal, the people, if not the countries, will have gotten a little closer. The volunteers will arrive on the Saturday morning, head for their hotel for a quick check-in, light lunch and then across Havana Harbor to the neighborhood of Regla to start digging post holes and pouring concrete for the first of the three playground sites. Language may be a barrier for some, but no lack of translation can hide the joy of friendship as two cultures meet and make new friends and form new bonds that perhaps will transcend generations. In the evenings, the group will enjoy Cuban family hospitality and listen to Cuban music, savor Cuban food, maybe see a ballet or baseball game Noun 1. baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League and learn more about Cuban culture and real life in modern day Havana. The week will conclude with ribbon cutting ceremonies A ribbon cutting ceremony is a public ceremony conducted to inaugurate the opening to the general public of a new building or business. Often, it is conducted in just the manner the name suggests: by tying a ceremonial ribbon across the main entrance of the building, which and a farewell celebration dinner on Friday night where Cuban families will join with their American counterparts for an exchange of addresses and a plethora plethora /pleth·o·ra/ (pleth´ah-rah) 1. an excess of blood. 2. by extension, a red florid complexion.pletho´ric pleth·o·ra n. 1. of thank you's and mutual gratitude for such a rewarding experience. Hauf said that they are still signing up volunteers and anyone who would like to contribute a week of their time to this great effort should visit www.itsjustthekids.org or call 858/481-1955. It's Just the Kids Inc. is a nonprofit corporation nonprofit corporation n. an organization incorporated under state laws and approved by both the state's Secretary of State and its taxing authority as operating for educational, charitable, social, religious, civic or humanitarian purposes. dedicated to the needs of Cuban children. It's goal is to help the children of Cuba by providing safe playground equipment in family neighborhoods to enhance the emotional, physical and psychological quality of these children's lives. Photos are available at URLs: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.042403/bb4 http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.042403/bb4a |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion