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NEW YORK, NY – Cincinnati Reds legends Tony Perez and Pete Rose have been tabbed as honorary co-chairs of a fundraiser for the Dominican Republic Sports & Education (DRSEA), June 21 at 7 p.m. at the 809 Lounge, 112 Dyckman St., New York, NY. The event will include a panel discussion on Dominican baseball and education. Preceding the discussion will be a special screening of “El Play,” an award-winning documentary on Dominican baseball; the event concludes with a VIP reception.

Panelists for the discussion include: Joel Araujo, a specialist in the International Baseball Operations Department for Major League Baseball; Pablo A. Medina, producer, director and writer of “El Play,” and an assistant professor at the Parsons New School for Design in New York City; Charles S. Farrell, co-founder and project director of the Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy; and Julio Pabon, founder of the Latino Sports Writers & Broadcasters Association (LSWBA), as well as founder of Latino Sports Ventures, Inc.

Dominican baseball has come under great scrutiny and criticism in recent years because of a myriad of problems plaguing the industry including age and identity fraud, steroid usage, and skimming of money from prospects who sign with Major League Baseball teams as young as 16.

“The DRSEA has been a committed advocate of reform in baseball in the Dominican Republic for a number of years,” said Harold Y. Mendez, the other co-founder of the DRSEA. “We believe that education has to be at the forefront of that reform if things are going to truly change in an industry where only two out of 100 will have careers in baseball. Education must be an alternative to baseball.”

The mission of the DRSEA is to educate young and gifted student athletes in the Dominican Republic, help develop their baseball skills, and give them the tools to succeed in life on and off the field. Through a rigorous educational component, the DRSEA will prepare young boys to have the opportunity for scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities.

For more information, visit http://drsea.org/el-play.html.

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