Come visit Nicaragua! You'll be amazed by the geography, the people, the business opportunities, and the culture. This is a bountiful, beautiful, fun, and safe country. If you've been to Nicaragua you know this already. If not, perhaps now is the time to experience it yourself.

A Life Changing Experience The partnership between Westerly High School in Long Beach, California, NGO “Help Them Help Themselves,” and Gran Pacifica saw an incredibly rewarding service trip in which students from Villa El Carmen and Westerly gained new worldly and cultural perspectives, the power of a welcoming community, and ultimately, the value of education.
		Operation Blackboard at Villa El Carmen Communities Dr. Ellen Roose, a resident of Gran Pacifica Beach and Goft Resort, hosted Operation Blackboard with the mission of “helping kids see their future.” Dr. Roose’s team traveled to the California, San Deigo, San Bartolo, and El Rosario to provide 315 community members with vision tests and prescription eyeglasses.
Working Together to Help Prevent Kidney Disease The Bridge of Life Foundation and NGO Help Them Help Themselves paired up for a very special mission addressing chronic kidney disease. The wildly successful mission was able to see nearly 300 patients in just one day.
		Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Santana’s José “Chepito” Areas Local legend, national hero, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, José “Chepito” Areas discusses his lifetime of experience and musical career with Dr. Alan Carlos Hernandez.
AguaClara Begins Construction of Water Plant AguaClara, a program at Cornell University in New York, aims to provide sustainable and locally sources water treatment plants to communities in which conventional mechanized water treatment technologies fail.

Dear Readers,

For anyone paying attention to Nicaragua’s rapidly developing industries, it will come as no surprise that new areas were recently discovered to be home to promising economic prospects. These prospects come in the form of gold and copper mineral deposits. Calibre Mining Corporation has conducted numerous drilling tests, producing positive results and approval from one of the world’s foremost porphyry experts, Dr. Richard Sillitoe. The project has the potential to bring jobs and valuable, new resources to the country.

While Calibre begins construction on mining sites, a Cornell program founded in 2005 by Monroe Weber-Shirk, begins construction on a new water treatment plant in La Concordia, Nicaragua. The water systems are designed to be environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable by utilizing locally sourced materials, free, open-sourced design plans, and the training of local counterparts.  While the development stages are no easy feat, the program has provided over 50,000 people with access to clean water and is building alliances to ensure it can grow and create and even greater global impact.

Gran Pacifica is also committed to serving the local Nicaraguan communities. Recently, the resort upgraded its technology and infrastructure to offer residents improved TV selection and internet speed. Not only was the resort able to remain dedicated to offering North American standards of service, but it was able to give back while doing so! Gran Pacifica donated TV, DVD, VHR, and Entertainment Centers to the schools of Rosario, Zapote, San Bartolo, San Diego, and California. Vida del Mar provided electricians for one day of labor to the schools to install these new centers in local classrooms.

A partnership between Westerly High School of Long Beach, California, NGO “Help Them Help Themselves,” and Gran Pacifica also benefitted local schools and students. The 3^rd voyage for Westerly High School students was described by many as “rewarding experience” filled with intensive manual labor, learning about new cultural perspectives, and discovering the value of education. Students built raised planters on school grounds to erect sustainable, edible gardens for area residents.

Additional needs of the community were addressed by Dr. Ellen Roose’s team of medical professionals through Operation Blackboard. Roose, a Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort resident, and her team traveled to California, San Deigo, San Bartolo, and El Rosario to offer community members vision tests and, if needed, prescription eyeglasses. Over 300 residents were seen by Dr. Roose’s team! The group also made generous donations of stethoscopes, manometers, a spinal board for trauma, cervical protector, sutures, and a pocket drop II to the Roberto Clemente III Medical Clinic at Gran Pacifica.

Dr. Roose aimed to cared for community members’ eyesight while Bridge of Life and Help Them Help Themselves tended to chronic kidney disease in the area. Over 300 patients were seen during this mission with a pharmacy set up to treat basic symptoms once residents were examined. Dehydration was the culprit to many cases of kidney disease, leading Bridge to Life to express interest in future missions with a preventative and educational focus. Gran Pacifica and Help Them Help Themselves is eager to support such efforts.

Local legend, national hero, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, José “Chepito” Areas was kind enough to discuss his musical career with Dr. Alan Claros Hernandez in an extremely candid, thorough, and informative interview. While his most well-known role is in Santana, Chepito has a long resume of additional solo, featured, and group work. Chepito has an impeccable talent of fusing Latin Rhythms with rock compositions. It is no wonder that he is one of the most celebrated musicians

 Until next time,

Michael Cobb
Chairman and CEO
Contact me
www.granpacifica.com 

~Testimonials ~

"Michael Cobb, you have truly brought ethical behavior to an elevated level. Nine years ago when I was negotiating with you on lot 84A I asked about the houses in the area in front of us and you replied we were the first lots in our area that were permitted to have two stories. That was important to Tom and I as we wanted to preserve our view. Last year when the lot across the street was resold and building plans started, I asked Kent Payne to check and see that only a one story house was allowed on the lot. To my surprise, this was not the case. I prayed they would not build a two-story house. Yesterday Tom was informed by Kent that as the house plans on the lot across were of the two story variety, you had offered to trade their lot for a more expensive and valuable lot in order to honor your word! The Cinco Amigos thank you for your ethics in a country in which many other developers have taken the easy way to their own destruction and to the harm of many others. You have raised the bar and we all appreciate your honor. I am proud to be associated with Gran Pacifica and with you."

Connie Orlandini, Gran Pacifica Property Owner

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