Cigar Family Academy of Arts Opens in the Dominican Republic

[JohnS]

December 6, 2024 - Charlie Minato

Cigar Family Academy of Arts Opens in the Dominican Republic

The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, a non-profit founded by the families that own Arturo Fuente and J.C. Newman, has formally opened its latest project: the Cigar Family Academy of Arts.

For more than five years, the foundation has been working on this project, a major expansion at the 23-acre facility. The main school offers free K-12 education to 440 students in Bonao, Dominican Republic, located minutes away from the Chateau de la Fuente farm that grows tobacco for Fuente’s OpusX and other cigars. Beyond the free education, it also provides after-school activities like sports, karate and art; medical care for the students and, oftentimes, their families; as well as other social services. Students are selected via a lottery, but the school is not large enough to accommodate all of the education needs in the area.

Nearly a decade ago, plans began to add vocational schools for elder care and hospitality—two fields with significant demand in the Dominican Republic. Coinciding with those plans was the Cigar Family Academy of Arts.

The arts project has received special attention from Hublot, a Swiss watch brand, and Arturo Sandoval, the Grammy-winning artist; both of whom have ties to Arturo Fuente. The new facility includes an amphitheater for performances as well as four other buildings that will be dedicated to music, arts and dance. Sandoval—who will receive the prestigious The Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, Dec. 8—inaugurated the amphitheater.

“I am enormously grateful to my friends at Hublot for supporting the creation of our new Academy of Arts,” said Carlos “Carlito” Jr. “This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility will give new opportunities to children in the Dominican Republic to pursue their passion and talent in the arts.”

The Fuente and Newman families operate the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation in a somewhat unique way. The two families cover all of the administrative costs running the charity and raise funds through events, partnerships, direct donations and through the sales of select cigars, most notably the Toast Across America packs that the companies sell each year.

“I want to thank all of the cigar enthusiasts around the world who support CFCF and the children and families it serves through their generous donations or by purchasing a Toast Across America pack,” said Eric Newman of J.C. Newman. “Because the Fuente and Newman families underwrite all of CFCF’s operating costs, every dollar raised goes directly to help children in need.”

Source: https://halfwheel.com/cigar-family-academy-of-arts-opens-in-the-dominican-republic/445335/

[JohnS]

Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Opens New Academy of Arts

December 6, 2024 - Press Release

Yesterday, the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (CFCF) celebrated the opening of its new Cigar Family Academy of Arts. With generous support from Hublot, this new center furthers the Fuente and Newman families’ goals of providing children in the Dominican Republic a diverse range of educational and career opportunities. Located in the 23-acre Cigar Family project in Bonao, Dominican Republic, the Cigar Family Academy of Arts includes four new buildings for music, arts, and dance programs along with an amphitheater for performances. The Cigar Family Academy of Arts will allow CFCF to expand its curriculum to support students who wish to pursue careers in the arts.

“I am enormously grateful to my friends at Hublot for supporting the creation of our new Academy of Arts,” said CFCF co-founder Carlos Fuente, Jr. “This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility will give new opportunities to children in the Dominican Republic to pursue their passion and talent in the arts.”

The grand opening celebration was attending by 100 people, including the Fuente and Newman families, executives from Hublot, local dignitaries, and Grammy Award-winning Artist Arturo Sandoval, who inaugurated the new amphitheater with a performance.

“I want to thank all of the cigar enthusiasts around the world who support CFCF and the children and families it serves through their generous donations or by purchasing a Toast Across America pack,” said CFCF co-founder Eric M. Newman. “Because the Fuente and Newman families underwrite all of CFCF’s operating costs, every dollar raised goes directly to help children in need.”

This year, 440 students are attending CFCF’s primary school, high school, technical school, and arts academy.  Since 2004, CFCF has invested more than $20 million to support these programs. The Cigar Family project has received numerous accolades from the government of the Dominican Republic, the United Nations, and others. It has been showcased as an example for how businesses and consumers can come together to provide transformational opportunities to improve the lives of low-income children and their families.

“Today was a very special day, a day that should make all of us proud,” said CFCF CEO Scott Lewis. “Words and pictures cannot convey how wonderful this project has turned out. The Cigar Family Academy of Arts will give our students the opportunity to express their creativity in so many ways while they learn and challenge themselves in each of these disciplines.”

Source: https://www.cigarjournal.com/cigar-family-charitable-foundation-opens-new-academy-of-arts/