[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4552]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CONGRATULATING CCDD ON 51 YEARS OF SERVICE

  (Mr. ESPAILLAT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Centro Cultural 
y Deportivo Dominicano de New York.
  The story of Club Deportivo began 51 years ago in the New York City 
neighborhood of Washington Heights, where a group of Dominican 
immigrants bonded over weekly games of the classic board game dominoes 
and a shared desire to maintain their cultural roots.
  Over time, this proud group, inspired by the founding fathers of the 
Dominican Republic--Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sanchez, 
and Ramon Matias Mella--made the decision to formalize itself in order 
to protect their own identity and cultural heritage. They officially 
incorporated on March 23, 1966.
  As the years passed, what initially began as a way for friends new 
and old to stay in touch through the power of sports blossomed into 
what is now institutionally and athletically one of the most important 
centers of Dominican Americans and their friends in the 13th 
Congressional District. Over the past 50 years, they have hosted 
numerous recreational sports tournaments and have played an integral 
role in formation of many other civic, cultural, and social 
organizations.
  Club Deportivo also provides its members with many vital forms of 
community service: ESL, citizenship classes for immigrants, folklore 
classes, music and arts classes for young and adults. Additionally, the 
group provides hot meals for the homeless each Thanksgiving and carries 
out frequent medical fairs.
  Mr. Speaker, we are joined today by several members of the Club 
Deportivo Dominicano. They are celebrating their 51st anniversary. 
Santiago Cruz, Felix Grant, Jose Monta, Carlos Leerdam, and Jose 
Rodriguez are here to celebrate.

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