One of the most resounding and important names in Dominican baseball today is that of the native of Consuelo, San Pedro de Macoris, Manny Acta. The petromacorisano is known for being the general manager of the Oriental Stars in LIDOM, as well as third base coach of the Seattle Mariners in the Major Leagues. However, for his fellow countrymen, Acta represents much more than his positions in the baseball world.

Talking to ESPN, Acta talked about the work he has done for years in the land where he was born, with his ImpACTA Kids Foundation.

“The idea of helping my people was born in my childhood. I remember that as a child I was filled with helplessness to see how some who made money in different facets of their lives simply abandoned their community. I would tell my friends that if I had the opportunity to improve my economic position, I would not do the same.

Manny had the opportunity to become a professional in the baseball world and, in 2007, when he was appointed to lead the Washington Nationals, he made his childhood dream a reality.

“It all started when I was a leader at Nationals. The Washington Times and the Washington Post wanted to know where I came from and where I grew up, so we decided to travel to Ingenio Consuelo. Once there, while we were touring the city, they asked me to take them to where I played baseball,” said Acta.

“The visit turned out to be a disaster because the sugar industry had stopped working and as a result the land where it played was neglected. I was upset about that and together with my agent, Ulises Cabrera, we started the idea of starting the foundation and building two small stadiums and an educational centre where I played. In principle, that was the idea behind the project.

Manny Acta indicated that, initially, ninety percent of the initial investment in the ImpACTA Kids Foundation came out of their pockets, but to start working they needed permission from the state.

“To obtain the permits to build on the land, we spoke with the then Secretary of Sports, Jay Payano, asking the government to give us a piece of land that was his property, with the promise that the foundation and the use of our buildings would be for everyone in the municipality, because the purpose of all this has always been to help the Dominican youth and the entire world, through sports and education”.

“Later, the next Minister of Sport agreed with us and built the fence of the complex, because a road passes by and I was afraid that a vehicle would lose control and could hurt the children,” said Manny Acta.

“The visit turned out to be a disaster because the sugar industry had stopped working and as a result the land where it played was neglected. I was upset about that and together with my agent, Ulises Cabrera, we started the idea of starting the foundation and building two small stadiums and an educational centre where I played. In principle, that was the idea behind the project.

Manny Acta said that, at first, ninety percent of the initial investment in the ImpACTA Kids Foundation came out of their pockets, but to start working they needed permission from the State.

“To obtain the permits to build on the land, we spoke with the then Secretary of Sports, Jay Payano, asking the government to give us a piece of land that was their property, with the promise that the foundation and the use of our buildings would be for everyone in the municipality, because the purpose of all this has always been to help the youth of the Dominican Republic and around the world, through sports and education”.

“Later, the next Minister of Sports agreed with us and built the fence of the complex, because a road passes by and I was afraid that a vehicle would lose control and could cause harm to the children,” said Manny Acta.

Today, the complex has an educational centre where computers are used to teach children literacy. Additionally, the ImpACTA Kids Foundation works with volunteers from another foundation, who help with the education programs there.

At this time the complex has five baseball parks for the children, named after great baseball players born in Consuelo, such as Sammy Sosa, Rico Carty, Alfredo Griffin.

Regarding the use of the complex, Acta said that: “all the little leagues in the municipality are allowed to work there, without any expenses. They only agree on when and how to use the stadiums. There are countless leagues operating there, we take care of maintenance, although we hope that eventually, because of the size of the site, the government will give us a hand with maintenance work”. He also mentioned that among the leagues that operate, there is one named after him, where about 150 children practice. “It’s like I said, this is a dream come true and it’s shared with everyone,” he said.

Acta is clear that due to what they have achieved over the years, it is impossible to continue building where the complex is located, so they have decided to expand their range of operations and have contributed to the construction of several public school stadiums in the municipality.

Additionally, the foundation does not limit its activities to baseball to allow for the inclusion of girls in the activities.

“A few years ago my wife started fighting me because she said everything I did was only for boys, so we changed that and developed spaces for women’s softball as well as women’s volleyball. A while ago we took the Queens of the Caribbean to help us with a clinic for the girls.

The Dominican has not just stopped to help his people and has sought to thank Nationals and Indians for their contributions. Acta processed and awarded scholarships to young people from both cities, as the equipment was vital in the growth of the complex. Additionally, he thanked the Seattle Mariners for committing to annual donations that they seek to give to the cause.

Manny Acta’s love for his community is more than apparent. Since he was a child, he made it a point to help in any way he could and once he had the opportunity, he has worked tirelessly to bring hope through sports and education to hundreds of children who are no longer on the streets or wasting their time.

“This is my most precious treasure, I promised my people that I would help them, I wanted to leave something that would really help my community in the long run. It makes me feel good about our work because the children are not on street corners doing anything, but are educating themselves and having fun,” concluded the San Pedro native.

Source: Dominican ESPN