Manny Acta’s social work in SPM

The ImpACTA Kids Foundation, whose president is Manny Acta, with support from the Major League Baseball and the
Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, celebrated yesterday,
saturday, it’s third training for low-income youth, at the Cocolos Complex terrain
of the Ingenio Consuelo in San Pedro de Macorís. The activity, headed by Acta
himself and which I had the honor of attending, offered free education to more
than 300 adolescents in different fields of the previously mentioned baseball
sports facility.

Active players like Robinson Canó, second baseman of the New York Yankees
and Ubaldo Jiménez, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, and former players Juan
Ramón Bernhardt, Héctor Eduardo, Andrés Santana and Francisco Morales
participated as instructors.

Training
Manny worked with all participants of the event, rotating them in
groups of 20 to 25 boys, dedicating 15 minutes to each group, in which he
talked to them about the proper execution of the fundamentals of baseball. In
a conversation with reporters who covered the activity, Acta said he is pleased
with the support he has received to conduct the trainings. He expressed that he
has held the event for its third consecutive year, taking place just after the winter
meetings of the major league organizations conclude, which in 2011 were held in
the city of Dallas.

He revealed that on Thursday of next week a third field will be opened in the
Cocolos Complex terrain, which will bear the name of former baseball star Julio
César Franco. Presently, the complex has two baseball fields called Sammy
Sosa and Rico Carty, and a multipurpose indoor facility, which was given the
name of Alfredo Griffin.

Consuelo Heroes
Sosa, Carty, Griffin and Franco are natives of Ingenio Consuelo, as well as
Acta, who pays tribute to these outstanding personalities of the community by
recognizing them and naming the various facilities after these heroes.

A fourth stadium to be called Rafael Batista, another former native star of Ingenio
Consuelo, is also planned to be opened soon.

The land in which the Cocolos Complex Terrain is located was donated to the
ImpACTA Kids Foundation in 2007, by the Sugar State Council and the Ministry
of Sports, in an area that belonged to the now inexistent Consuelo Mill.
The leader of the Cleveland Indians revealed that since then the construction of
the sports infrastructure began, destined to benefit the children and youth of his
community.

Hundreds of children
Currently from 300 to 400 children and young boys go to
the Complex to practice baseball, which is of great satisfaction to Acta because
as he said himself “if these guys didn’t have this place to come train, they would
probably dedicate their time to unhealthful activities.”

In the Alfredo Griffin multipurpose center, there are classrooms where children
study and do daily tasks. They must conclude these tasks in order to play
baseball. The Save the Children Foundation is assisting in the functioning of the
classrooms and the acquisition of computers.
In this building they also have volunteer teachers who teach at no cost.

His reasons
Regarding the motives that have led him to build this Complex,
Acta notes that “since young I swore that if I had the opportunity, I would come
help my people of Ingenio Consuelo.” “I always thought that the big issue that
our country faces is people’s lack of education and that’s why I wanted to help
change that,” he said.

He added that “this is a problem that will be resolved in a long term basis, that’s
why we must begin now, so we can have a different nation.”

Meritorious Efforts
This work that has been carried out by Manny Acta for his
people, deserves recognition from everyone. How different would our country be
if we followed his example.

M.E. Guerrero (Listin Diario)