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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 19, 2015 – The NORCECA
Volleyball Confederation has donated a significant amount of
volleyball equipment to start a pilot program aimed to teaching
the basic of the sport in the Dominican Republic public schools.
The program was the idea of former women’s national team player
Kenia Moreta, current director of sports for the Santo Domingo
province under the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, who
obtained immediate support from Cristobal Marte Hoffiz,
president of NORCECA.
Several retired players of the national team working for the
ministry in different capacities have enthusiastically joined
Moreta, including former Olympians Juana Gonzalez, Sofia Heredia
and Juana Saviñon.
The donation of sport equipment includes balls for volleyball
and beach volleyball, nets, antennas, lines, sneakers and
uniforms for the instructors.
“This is a great idea which I consider will contribute
decisively to the expansion of volleyball in the Dominican
Republic schools,” Marte Hoffiz said. “The minister of sports
Dr. Jaime David Fernandez has been an allied of volleyball
within the limitations of the budget and the doors of his office
have been open to us.
“The donation of these equipments is a contribution of NORCECA
to this idea of Kenia to assist the ministry of sports because
it has been always my thinking that you cannot leave everything
in the hands of the governments and the private institutions
have also to contribute,” the president of NORCECA added.
Moreta commented the program was inspired in the joy experienced
by a group of children during a volleyball clinic held in one of
the schools of the province of Santo Domingo.
“It was really touching to see such happiness in their faces
only with the opportunity to do some volleying and I immediately
thought about talking to Cristobal about it,” Moreta said. “To
receive his support is really a good start and I hope other
institutions join us in this crusade in favor of volleyball.”
Attendees at the ceremony included three-time Olympic champion
Mireya Luis of Cuba and NORCECA Vice President Mushtaque Mohamed
of Trinidad and Tobago. |
