TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS
A project rooted in family, service and a commitment to giving back.
Our Story ⟶
Why Hortensia
Proyecto Hortensia is named in honor of my grandmother, Hortensia Roberta Rodriguez Meyeringh, lovingly known as “Nonnie”. Her deep connection to Honduras, and the importance she has always placed on family, service and giving back, have been a constant influence in my life.
Through her, I have grown up hearing about Honduras and understanding the importance of giving back. Proyecto Hortensia is my way of honoring what she has taught me while creating a connection to Honduras that I hope will continue for years to come.
How it Began
Proyecto Hortensia began during my sophomore year of high school with a simple idea: find a meaningful way to support children in Honduras while building a stronger connection to a country that has always been an important part of my family’s history.
I began by reaching out to families in my school and sports communities and asking them to donate gently used clothing, shoes, household items and other belongings they no longer needed. Our home quickly became a collection point, and what started with a few donations grew into something much larger.
Turning donations into impact
Reaching out to family, friends, and people in my school and sports communities, I organized a two-day garage sale in May 2025 that raised $3,517.75. I used the proceeds to purchase items based on the specific needs of the girls at Casa Niños Rosa María, a girls’ home in Honduras that I first learned about through my grandmother.
The experience showed me how something simple—asking people to give what they already had—could become meaningful support for the girls. It also gave Proyecto Hortensia the momentum to grow beyond what I originally imagined I would be able to do.
From fundraising to direct support
After the garage sale, I began working with the Hogar to understand what the girls needed most. That changed the project from simply raising money to responding to specific needs.
In the fall of 2025, after many conversations with the director, a list of needed items for the girls was created. It included backpacks, sneakers, underwear, body lotions and soaps, combs and brushes. The director of the Hogar sent me each girl’s shoe and clothing sizes so I could purchase the items individually and make sure they would fit properly. Proceeds from the garage sale were used to purchase all of the items. Next items were sorted, packed and sent to Honduras.
Technology was also on the list. Garage sale money was also utilized to purchase four new laptops, a printer, ink cartridges and a case of paper. I also reached out to friends and family to see if they had computers they no longer used and would be willing to donate. One additional computer was donated.
Seeing it firsthand
Walking into the Hogar for the first time made everything I had been working toward feel real. For more than a year, I had been raising money, collecting donations and purchasing supplies without ever having met the girls who would receive them. Now I was finally there to deliver everything in person.
I had seen photographs and communicated with the Hogar from home, but being there was completely different. I was able to see for myself where and how the girls lived, where they went to school, and what their everyday lives looked like. Their daily lives were very different from the life I had grown up with in the United States, and it made me realize how many things I had always taken for granted.
The girls were excited to meet me, and their excitement grew when they saw all of the supplies we had brought for them. Their reactions made me realize that the things I had spent so much time collecting and preparing meant much more once I understood what they meant to the girls.
The day it all came together
More than supplies
What stayed with me most from that day wasn't just seeing the girls receive everything we had brought. It was finally getting to know them.
I had spent more than a year thinking about what they needed, raising money and preparing everything from home. Being there with them, talking with them and getting to know them made the project feel much more personal.
By the time I left, I knew Proyecto Hortensia had become about more than delivering supplies. I wanted to stay connected to the girls and continue helping as their needs changed.
A moment I will remember
One of the moments I will remember most from my visit was having the chance to speak to the girls before I left. I thanked them for welcoming me into their home and told them that I wanted to continue Proyecto Hortensia and keep raising money to help provide things they may need in the future.
Being able to tell them that in person was important to me because I wanted them to understand that this wasn't a one-time thing. I hoped they would know that I planned to stay connected and continue helping however I could. I was also proud to feel a connection to the country that has always been such an important part of my grandmother's life and to be able to give something back to a place that means so much to my family.
In their own words
After having the chance to speak to the girls, it meant a lot to hear from them in return. One of the older girls spoke on behalf of the group and thanked me for the supplies I had brought. After spending so much time working on Proyecto Hortensia from home, this heartfelt message made the experience even more impactful.
What would make you happy?
Before I left the Hogar, I asked the girls about some of the things they would like to have—not things they necessarily needed, but basic things that would make them happy. Their answers were pretty simple: art supplies, notebooks and hair accessories.
This led me to create a “wishlist” based on the things they shared with me. The items on the wishlist were shared with family and friends. Thanks to the generosity of others, I was able to purchase the all the items on the wishlist created after my visit. Everything was packaged and set to Honduras where it was later delivered in person by my grandmother.
A new need
In July, my grandmother traveled to Honduras and personally delivered all of the wishlist items to the girls at the Hogar. While she was there, she also met the newest arrival—a four-month-old baby who had recently been brought to the home.
This was the first time the Hogar had cared for a baby, so their needs had changed again. The director created a new list of items that would help them care for both the girls and the baby. The list included sheets and towels for the girls, lice shampoo and a lice-detection light, as well as a Pack ’n Play, baby carrier and industrial blender for preparing food at the Hogar.
This fall, as I begin my senior year at Ransom Everglades School, the next Proyecto Hortensia project is already underway. I built this website to share Proyecto Hortensia with others and make it easier for people to get involved. Through the wishlist link, anyone who wants to help can purchase one of the items the Hogar has specifically requested.
I plan to share the website with family, friends, classmates and teammates with the goal of collecting all of the requested items and sending them to Honduras by Christmas. As the needs at the Hogar continue to change, I hope Proyecto Hortensia can continue to respond and provide support where it is needed.
Proyecto Hortensia by numbers
2 years
of ongoing support
22 girls
received shoes, backpacks and personal essentials
$7,480
raised since the project began in 2024
5 computers
4 purchased + 1 donated
$3,517.75
raised through the two-day garage sale
1 printer
plus ink and paper
About the hogar
Casa Niños Rosa María was founded in Tegucigalpa in 1990 by Rosemarie Blattner to provide a safe and stable home for children who could no longer safely live with their families. What began in one small house grew in 1995 when two additional houses were added at a larger site. The goal of the Hogar has always been to provide the girls with a safe and orderly home, individual care and affection, and an education.
The girls live together at the Hogar and attend school on the same property. Their days include school, shared meals, chores and responsibilities around the home, creating a structured daily routine while giving them the opportunity to receive an education.
What impressed me most was learning that the Hogar continues to support the girls even after they turn eighteen. They can continue living at the there while pursuing a university education, giving them the opportunity to build an independent future. They are very proud to report that one of the girls who came to the Hogar at age 5 and stayed there for 22 years has just graduated from the University of Honduras as a medical doctor.
A thank you letter from the Hogar
In August 2026, I received an official letter from Fundación Hogar Ana Rosa María recognizing the work of Proyecto Hortensia over the past two years. It documents how Proyecto Hortensia has supported the girls and refers to it as a bridge between Miami and the Hogar—not only now, but in the future.
Receiving this letter from the director meant a lot to me because that is exactly what I hope Proyecto Hortensia will continue to be. What began as an idea to help the girls has become a relationship that I hope to continue for years to come.
Where this goes from here
Proyecto Hortensia started with a pretty simple idea: raise money and collect things that could help the girls at the Hogar. At the time, I was mostly thinking of it as a service project and a way to make a difference.
After traveling to Honduras and meeting the girls, that changed for me. I came home feeling much more connected to the Hogar and also to a country that has always been such an important part of my family’s history. What started as one project to help others in a country that means a great deal to my family became something much more personal—an ongoing commitment to the girls and the Hogar.
As I finish my last year at Ransom Everglades and eventually head to college, I hope to keep growing Proyecto Hortensia. New communities and new people will give me opportunities to bring others into the project and continue responding to what the girls need. I don’t know exactly what Proyecto Hortensia will look like several years from now, but I know I want to stay connected to the girls and continue helping as their needs change.
Want to help?
Proyecto Hortensia continues to respond to needs as they arise at the Hogar. If you would like to help, you can purchase an item from the current wishlist or contact me to learn more.