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Two student teams worked with local leaders Javier Valedon and Johnny Williams, who dreamed of turning an abandoned school into the Cubuy-Lomas Community Services & Development Center, where residents can access health care, education and job training, computer services, and clean water, especially in emergencies.
“The center will provide the community with resources to become more resilient, particularly to natural disasters such as hurricanes, and also to provide additional services to community members on a day-to-day basis,” says Somasse, who served as an advisor to both projects.
One team focused on ways to harvest clean, potable water and generate off-grid power in the case of emergencies. A second team built a website for the center that includes videos, a 360-degree tour, and computer-aided design models to promote the center and aid in fundraising.
“When we first came down and saw them in July, it was just a building and two guys who had a vision. There wasn’t even paint on the walls,” says Davis. Due to the tenacity of the sponsors, the building is now ready to host businesses, such as a pharmacy or health care center.
Talia Mamayek ’23, whose team worked on the water and power resiliency project, says the spirit of the local residents is what she will remember most.
“The best part of my experience was having the opportunity to meet such inspiring and ambitious people such as Javier and Johnny, our project sponsors, who truly have big hearts,” she says. “I was also exposed to the complexities and challenges that most nonprofits face with gaining support for their initiatives, spreading the word, and envisioning the long-term social impact of their work, such as reducing vulnerability and building resilience for their community.”
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