Judith Fox-Hogg : Community Information

CLINI-CLOWNS TO BRIGHTEN BEDRIDDEN KIDS' HOSPITAL STAY

Judith Fox-Hogg — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:22:00 GMT

November 2009 will see the launch of of the Dominican Republic

Every child is unique.

Every child needs tenderness and happiness, especially when they become sick.

Clini-Clowns want to be there for sick, bedridden or disabled children in our local hospitals and hospices. We see that one of the best forms of medicine could be the Clown visiting the children’s ward.

This is not a new idea, but a great idea for those children who really need us.

Through the involvement and support of the North Coast Players Theatre Company we hope that this concept will gain momentum very quickly and attract volunteers happy to play a role as one of our band of Clowns who will make these hospital visits.

Clini-Clowns will be found in hospitals on a weekly basis, to help these children fight isolation and boredom – to provide a temporary distraction from their worries and to spread a little sunshine into that child’s day.

During the course of the years, we will step up our efforts to provide a wider facility for children over a much wider area.

To start Clini-Clowns in the Dominican Republic, we need all the help we can get. The North Coast Players Theatre Company has committed itself to bringing the idea to the front of everyone’s mind and profits from their first play in November will be spread around local charities and will include Clini-Clowns to help them get started with their outfits and start up costs.
Whilst not being an expensive enterprise, we need support from everyone and are happy with every contribution! Everything helps!!

Whether that is by offering a donation to buy Clown costumes or pay for Clowns’ transportation to hospital or offering background skills to help grow the organization.

Does the idea of wearing a bright red nose appeal to you?

We appreciate any and all your support. We hope that you will find a way to support us on 21st, 22nd and 23rd November at the beginning of Clini-Clowns

Judith Fox-Hogg
On behalf of

809 856 2962

New State of the Art Medical facility in Sosua/Cabarete

Judith Fox-Hogg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:24:00 GMT

On July 1st 2009 the latest medical Clinic CENTRO MÉDICO CABARETE, opened on the outskirts of Cabarete in the town of Sosúa.

This state of the art 269,000 square feet medical facility is the brain child of Dr. Roberto Spitale.

This is a family project, where you can find Roberto's father, mother, and wife assisting to make things run smoothly in the clinic.

Their idea was to give an provide medical facility in close proximity to the residents of the Sosúa and Cabarete region, and give a more personal services to entire North Coast.

Even so, the process of building the Clinic took a great deal of time and effort for it to come to fruition.

Dr. Spitale, a neurosurgeon started a Foundation to provide neurological services for people in need. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of these types of procedures, clinical services were a necessity. This meant that the same patients struggled to find the

costs to pay for the hospital accommodation even though his services were for free. The idea of starting his own Clinic would allow him to offer his services to the needy without cost to them.

His Foundation, FINC, is supported by many generous donations from all over the world to ensure he can offer these services

Now with his new clinic open for business and already creating a stir amongst the local community, he can offer a full service to all, with the latest equipment and highly trained staff on site 24 hours.

Although the doctors are local, it is possible to find medical staff which can facilitate a number of languages including German, French, English, and even Czech, which is a great benefit in an area which is one of the main tourist areas of the Caribbean.

The background staff in the clinic amount to around 30 people plus the doctors.

Some specialists are booked by appointment but the Clinic is fully operational Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm, Saturday 8am till midday with General medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, surgeons, and orthopedics. The 24 hour emergency rooms are fully manned at all times, and where needed, the hospital can send out its’ own ambulance.

The hospital which is still refining its facilities currently offers:

24 hour lab work, X-ray facilities, Mammogram, Sonagraph, CT scan, Cardiology

There are 2 surgery operating theaters, and a neo-natal unit, where the incubators lie already filling up with premature babies. There are 22 patient care overnight beds, including private and semi-private 4 rooms, 3 Post –op/ICU for intensive care, and emergency observation units.

Some local insurance are covered by this hospital and the ones that aren’t, are being approached at the moment. Of course, if you were to have an emergency, and carry national insurance, you should be reimbursed if services are needed. International insurance is naturally covered.

The modern and dramatic frontage to the hospital situated on the main highway between Sosúa and Cabarete opens onto a well designed and functional reception where visitors and medical staff come together before entering their individual consulting rooms. A small cafeteria and children’s play area offers a much more casual feeling to this area which has none of the older frightening aspects of those who worry at the thought of entering a hospital.

All in all, this impressive landmark is now a very welcome addition to the residents and visitors to the area, where they can feel confident that they will be dealt with by a highly experienced medical team surrounded by the latest technology.

CMC Centro Médico Cabarete

Carretera Sosúa-Cabarete Km1, Sosúa, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Tel: 809 471 4696 Email: cmc.sosua@gmail.com

Director Dr. Roberto Spitale

Finally a North Coast Theater Company in the Dominican Republic

Judith Fox-Hogg — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:27:00 GMT

The North Coast Players, an Amateur Dramatic Company founded by Judith Fox-Hogg have started strongly with their initial auditions for their first Play "Wait Until Dark"

Judith once played the lead role of the blind girl 'Suzy' in the play performed in Zambia, Africa.

The Company will be based in the Casa Marina Reef Amphitheater, Sosua, which holds 300 people and from their the Company will probably tour the country with their plays in the south and in the tourist development of Playa Dorada.

The cast and crew come from all over the World and to the delight of the Producer and Director, there turned out to be a wealth of experienced stage film and TV people living in the D.R. delighted to become part of this new venture.

The first Play is a Thriller and set in London in the 1960's. The Director for the first play will be Linda Love, who herself has over 15 years in both antional and international theater. Stage Manager will be Elaine Johnson Brown.

Auditions were held on 17th May and were actually inundated with volunteers willing to either act or help in some way.

The Play will be performed in December 2009 at the Amphitheater.

"We have already had requests for tickets for goups coming into the island over the Christmas period. We are hoping to offer a package will will include Pre-Theater Dinner, Performance and for those from the Puerto Plata area, the possibiltiy of transport as well! " says Judith

Our idea is to raise money for various local charities. None of the volunteers are paid, but we are hoping that this will be a great chance to make a lot of money for these Charities and have fun at the same time.

The intention is to provide a highly professional cast and crew with the Play being performed to very high standards.

Election Results Add to the Dominican Republic's Stability in Real Estate

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:18:00 GMT

At the election on 16th May, President Leonel Fernandez was granted four more years to serve the Dominican Republic. Fernandez is credited with restoring macroeconomic stability and a favourable business climate. Being ahead in the polls, his PLD party secured a victory with 53% of the vote. This represents the first re-election in Dominican politics since Joaquin Balaguer was re-elected in 1990.

This continuity will reinforce the recent view that the Dominican Republic is one of the top five places to buy in the Caribbean and will attract new investments on a small and grand scale, such as that recently made by Donald Trump, who is pouring more than $1 billion into resort and residence development on the island.

Judith Fox-Hogg, one of the Owners of West Indies Real Estate, met with the President during his last term of office to promote business and investment in the Dominican Republic.

Real Estate Tourism in Dominican Republic

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:12:00 GMT

Property outlook is great and real estate tourism is booming in the Dominican Republic, says the forecast from the Dominican Association of Real Estate Tourism Companies (ADETI).
U.S. $1.5 billion is invested in real estate property developments in Dominican Republic, says the ADETI President, Juan Bancalari. The real estate tourism prospective is even more upbeat considering the fact that it is expected to attract US$3.0 billion per year within three years.

Marinas, beaches and golf courses are the leading factors that make real estate tourism and investment in the Dominican Republic so attractive. However, the country has competitors such as the wonderful beaches of Mexico and Central America. For this reason Bancalari, the president of Dominican Association of Real Estate Tourism Companies, says that the country needs to project an image of security for real estate and other types of investments to develop tourism and properties for European and American holiday vacationers.

It seems that the projection of a secure investment environment is working. As real estate development is experiencing a slump in Florida, a local engineering company is looking not only outside of the box, but also outside of the U.S. borders. “Bonita Springs-based Stafford Engineering will open the doors of a new office in downtown Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday and begin offering architectural, engineering, real estate, construction management and business relocation services in the Caribbean Island country.” – reports Naplesnews.com in its July 31, 2007 issue.

The newspaper says that “Other Southwest Florida businesses also are moving into Caribbean markets, Garcia added: Cape Coral-based Bellagio Homes and SJR Development are developing a residential community in the Dominican Republic, and The Jack Parker Corp., a Fort Myers-based real estate development company, is building a mixed-use community in Costa Rica.”

There is a change in tourism and holiday vacationers’ trends. According to Frank Rainieri, the vice president of ADETI, tourism is changing toward real estate tourism. "Before hotels were simply pure hotels. All the large chains of the world (...) are already entering the tourism real estate component. I believe that that already creates the new dynamics of investment in the tourism sector." - Dominicantoday.com.

Tourism, and particularly real estate property tourism, has been among the top five currency generating factors for Dominican Republic. It was this type of tourism that created the boom in the coastal areas of Southern Spain in 1970s and 1980s, which used to be Spain’s most economically depressed areas. Today, due to the real estate tourism and boom in properties, these have become some of Spain’s most developed and attractive areas. The Dominican Republic intends to do just the same by attracting more real estate tourism and emphasising that investing in the Dominican Republic’s real estate and property market is safe and secure.

The Tourists Keep Coming

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:10:00 GMT

The Dominican Republic has Latin America's highest tourism receipts per GDP. According to the Latin Business Chronicle (LBC), 11.1% of the country's GDP comes from tourism. Costa Rica with 7.5% and Panama with 6.0% are two other countries with high tourism revenues. The report by LBC reveals that Panama has experienced the largest increase in tourist visitors while Uruguay had the largest increase in revenues derived from tourism. The LBC report indicates that Latin America received a record total of 68.6 million international arrivals last year, an increase of 2.9% since 2006.

West Indies Real Estate makes a considerable proportion of its sales to buyers who are either buying second homes purely for their own use or to those who want a combined holiday home and rental property, some with a view to future retirement in the Dominican Republic.

West Indies Real Estate Charities

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:09:00 GMT

Sosua Kids Express Their Appreciation to West Indies
We want to take the opportunity to express our heart-felt gratitude to West Indies for their generous donation to the Sosúa Kids fund. It arrived at the most opportune moment as we are preparing to begin passing the vouchers next week to our school children so as they can buy their supplies and uniforms. Last year we were able to assist 283 needy public school kids , this year we are over 320 kids and counting.....

Sosúa Kids association continues to pay the teachers' monthly salaries for a school of about 200 students (across from the Air Force base) that was founded by a religious group (there is no public school in that area) as well as donate towards scholarships for a preschool in Los Castillos. It was over a year ago we began helping a struggling university student from this area studying in Santo Domingo with his living expenses, now there are 3 more university students we help financially on a monthly basis.

With the help of generous donors such as West Indies we have been able to expand our program each year to enable more students to seek an education. School attendance is required by law, but a uniform is required, not all children are in school for this reason. We hope to be able to continue our growth to give education assistance to as many kids as possible.

British Amabassador hosts a cocktai party for North Coast Brits

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:04:00 GMT

British Residents on the North Coast enjoy the Ambassador's evening
Almost 100 people attended a "British Evening" in Sosua hosted by H.M. British Ambassador, Mr. Ian Worthington OBE, at Sabatini's Restaurant on 11th July.

The event grew out of links forged last year as a result of a talk, organised by West Indies Real Estate, by the Ambassador on the work of the Embassy.

We would like to thank the Ambassador, all the sponsors of the event and also give special recognition to James Read, who helped enormously with the perfect organisation, with superb support from the staff of Sosua Bay Hotel.

Early talks are already underway with the hope of organising another function on the north coast next year. If you did not attend, or we may not have your e-mail address, please contact Linda Stapleton at l.stapleton@westindies-realestate.com and we will add you to our contact list. If you have no e-mail, please let us have a telephone number.

The Dinner Club on the north coast

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:03:00 GMT

As a finale to yet another Season of Monthly Dinner Club outings, the presence of the British Ambassador added to making this a very successful evening.

Ian Worthington O.B.E., The British Ambassador joined 29 other members in a celebration of probably the most popular Expat groups on the north coast.

After a champagne reception, the party sat down to enjoy a first class meal at the excellent Bliss Restaurant, which once again lived up to the high reputation it has gained since it began.

James Read, the organiser of the Dinner Club, once again ensured that the whole evening went without a hiccup.

Many thanks to Jim and Carole for all their hard work.

British Evening in Sosua

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:01:00 GMT

H.M. British Ambassador, Mr. Ian Worthington, will be hosting a "British Evening" in Sosua on Friday, 11th July. This follows on from a successful talk on the work of the British Embassy in the Dominican Republic, organised by Judith Fox-Hogg , one of the owners of West Indies Real Estate in Sosua last year.
Invitations have been sent out to British residents whose contact details we have, but if anyone has been missed and would like to attend, please call into the West Indies office in Calle David Stern, the road leading down to Casa Marina Beach Hotel, and we will be happy to add you to the guest list.

Dominican Republic has greatest natural environment in the Caribbean

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:52:00 GMT

Eminent US naturalist Edward Osborne Wilson, on visiting the Dominican Republic for the second time, has urged the DR to increase funding for its protected areas, given that the country still boasts the greatest biodiversity in the Caribbean. He argued that protection makes economic sense because several valuable species inhabit these areas, which are of great interest to the scientific community and medical researchers. The DR has 86 protected areas that cover 12% of the national territory.

Wilson collected important amber pieces with insect inclusions that are on exhibit at Harvard University. He says that he found remains of a million year old insect that today only still exists in Australia.
On the occasion of his visit, the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation presented the 2008 film, "Darwin's Natural Heir," on the life of Wilson, who is a collaborator in research carried out at the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation and its Sustainability Center.

Visitors to the North Coast will find the Amber Museum in Puerto Plata of great interest.

Newest Golf Course under Construction in the north coast Dominican Republic

Judith Fox-Hogg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:49:00 GMT

The newest golf course on the north coast of the Dominican Republic is coming along rapidly as photos show. La Catalonia is destined to become one of the most exciting projects to date.

A ' Ponko ' designed course (creator of a range of renowned courses) will combine with lush indigenous landscaping and the natural contours of the hills, to create a challenging experience for all levels of golfer.

La Colonia will offer a world class hotel/leisure complex, 1000 luxury golf villas and 200 condos in an eco-friendly community. Phase 1 is now firmly underway and shopping areas, restaurants, spa, beach club and hotel complex will be part of the second phase. This is the vision of its Founder Juan Diego Vasquez.

Villas will be offered including landscaped lots and pools from $345,000. West Indies Real Estate will be offering these designs and others in both their website and overseas exhibitions in London and Canada, through their associate Company - West Indies Connections.