PUNTACANA Foundation
Puntacana Resort & Club has a dual leadership role in the national tourism market: to continue generating value through pioneering tourism innovation and to create a healthier and safer life for our close collaborators and the inhabitants of nearby communities in need.
The PUNTACANA Foundation, created in 1998, is the means by which our company promotes sustainable economic growth in the Dominican Republic, especially in the local communities in and around Punta Cana. Our commitment to local sustainable development is not a fleeting interest. Our founders were visionary when articulating business objectives joined to corporate social responsibility. With an attitude for community service, we have found the necessary motivation to continue putting our hearts into everything what we do, in order to enrich the lives of the people whom we serve.
Our programs touch the most basic elements of the community’s needs:
EDUCATION:
PUNTACANA International School is a bilingual private school built and operated by PUNTACANA Foundation to offer a high quality education to the children of the employees of PUNTACANA Resort & Club. It has modern facilities, a complete staff of teachers and a complete program of complementary education in youth leadership, culture, arts, physical education and sports, among others. Its academic program also benefits the local community. Currently there are 450 students with more than 22 different cultures interacting in the classrooms. The tuition paid by the employees of PUNTACANA Resort & Club is scaled, meaning students pay based on the income of their parents, with children of lower income staff paying less than executives and upper management. In the classroom, children of employees of all levels receive the highest quality education.
The Ann & Ted Kheel Polytechnic High School was built and equipped by PUNTACANA Foundation in 2004 in the nearby community of Veron. It is the only public high school in the Punta Cana tourist zone for young people of poor families. Students receive a basic high school education as well as technical training in areas such as computer science, hospitality, electricity, plumbing and refrigeration, and English language. The Polytechnic is currently managed by an Administrative Committee headed by the Catholic Church, PUNTACANA Foundation, Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic and Association of Parents and Friends of the Institution.
PUNTACANA Foundation provides support for the Public Elementary Schools Program. In addition to its own schools, PUNTACANA Foundation facilitates the improvement of the physical infrastructure of public elementary schools in need in the Punta Cana tourist region. Through this initiative we have built classrooms, bathrooms, sports facilities, offices, playgrounds and other facilities in diverse educational centers.
Training for Educational Staff is an initiative that seeks to improve the qualifications of teachers of local public schools in the Punta Cana region by allowing them to participate in the Abilities Improvement Program. This program directly impacts the quality of the public education in the area.
School Donations Program donates school supplies and materials to education centers and students throughout the region.
HEALTH:
In 2006 the PUNTACANA Foundation led the rehabilitation and co-management of the Veron Rural Health Clinic with partner organization Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). Previously the clinic had been closed for many years due its dreadful conditions. This public health facility is the only one in the Punta Cana region and provides care for an average of 90 patients in need daily. The clinic provides walk-in consultations, infectious disease prevention for tuberculosis, malaria, and dengue, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, vaccinations, laboratory analysis, prenatal and gynecological care, and family and community preventive medicine. Other programs include Community Medical Missions, Mini-Med School and medical training for doctors of public hospitals.
SPORTS:
PUNTACANA Foundation has constructed a variety of sports facilties for local children, including a softball and baseball court in Verón and basketball and volleyball court at Ann & Ted Kheel Polytechnic High School in Verón. The Foundation also provides support to community sporting tournaments such as the Higuey Basketball Tournament
CULTURE:
In 2008 PUNTACANA Foundation created PUNTACANA Carnival to celebrate the Popular Carnival of the Dominican Republic in a local event for residents and visitors. Carnival is a great example of the Dominican Republic’s cultural wealth. Each year, the carnival has the participation of more than 1200 Dominican traditional characters, which can be enjoyed by a huge amount of people of diverse cultures.
PUNTACANA Art Gallery is a small art gallery built and supported by PUNTACANA Foundation, with the objective of offering a space for the promotion of national and international cultures. The artists are able to exhibit their work for residents, local and foreign visitors.
PUNTACANA Foundation also provides support to the Altagracia Tourism Cluster and the Punta Cana Bavaro Rotary Club. The implementation of these initiatives has a remarkable amount of support from local members of the community, all of whom share an interest in creating a sense of community responsibility.
For donations or further information, please contact:
Paul Beswick
Fundacion PUNTACANA
PUNTACANA Resort & Club
809.959.2714 ext. 1401, 1402
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
