Join three veterans of White Dog Sister restaurant trips to Cuba, and the co-founders of the Philadelphia/Cardenas Sister Cities Association for an evening of stories on topics ranging from politics to travel tips.
Debra Tupe' s first trip to Cuba was with the White Dog Cafe in 1999. During this visit Deb became intrigued by not only Cuba's health and education system but also the role of the community in supporting the health and well being of its members. Deb has returned to Cuba six times since her initial visit and has established a exchange program with a center for children with disabilities in Cardenas. Deb holds a faculty position in occupational therapy at Thomas Jefferson University and Columbia University.
Ada Belllo was born in Cuba and first came to this country in 1958 to continue her studies after the closing of Havana University in the last months of the Batista regime. She returned, briefly, in the closing days of 1958, and was there in January 1, 1959, when Batista fled and Castro and the revolution came to power. After an absence of 40 years Ada went back to Cuba, in the fall of 1999, on a White Dog/Global Exchange sponsored trip. Since then she has been involved in various Cuba related activities, including being a founding member of the Philadelphia-Cardenas Sister Cities Association.
Pam Martin's first trip to Cuba was with the White Dog Cafe in November 1999. Upon returning to the U.S., she was determined to learn as much about the embargo as possible so as to be able to find a way to help end this cruel and senseless policy. She went on to receive her Master's in International Peace & Conflict Resolution at Arcadia University. Pam started her own consulting firm, Molimar Export Consultants, Inc., which gives her the opportunity to introduce U.S. businesses to the Cuban market and to speak to various organizations and schools about current U.S. policy.
