The Tie-Dye T-Shirt

The tie-dye T-shirt has come to represent so much in the Punta Cana area, and for the Virginia 

4-H/Dominican Delegation. It was initially utilized as a craft the second year of the program, using a design done by a local artist, and has been continued ever since. No two tie-dye shirts are just alike, just like us. The shirts represent a special two days in participants’ lives, and an unforgettable eight days for those of us who have been blessed to join this program.

Carol and I played with numbers in our head and came up with

these figures:

1) We’ve had an average of fifty campers per year, so including this year that’s about 1200-plus kids; 

2) Each camper, and teen leader, average ten per year, has dyed a shirt, a total of approximately 1320 shirts; 

3) These shirts are likely shared by families and even neighborhoods, say 30 per cent share rate… That is about 1600 (conservative) people wearing these shirts!  

These shirts have even been seen in Higuey, the eastern regional capital. That exposure is nice to have, and shows the ripple effect of this program.

  

Our 4-H group provides transportation and scholarships campers to come to Day Camp from a poor village, or neighborhood, if you will, called Domingo Maiz in the town of Veron, just outside of the resort area. Welinton de la Rosa has two community leaders choose who is privileged to come.  This year, 24 were chosen out of 48 kids, based on their leadership and willingness to help out in their village.  They must abide by the rules--one did not, and was not allowed to come back the second day.  

While visiting Domingo Maiz for our service project and lunch after Day Camp, the kids from Camp saw us in our tie-dye shirts, and ran back home to put theirs on.  Welinton told us that for them, owning a tie-dye 4-H Camp shirt shows the other kids “I was able to go.  Do you want to go next year?  Then, be a leader like me.” That honor and privilege, for children, or anyone in this village, is something they can claim is theirs, even if they don't have much else. And to see that truly warms our hearts. 

Submitted by Rory Nansel, Chaperon