ABOUT
Help ROSE – Roatan Support Effort – help the wonderful people of Honduras
Our Life-Changing Mission:
To help the people of Honduras by collecting, transporting and delivering items critical to organizations, programs and projects that
directly improve the quality of local life.
ROSE brings hope of a better life to Roatan and Honduras by providing:
Medical supplies and equipment for low-cost HEALTH CARE, and personal hygiene supplies to stay healthy
Vital EDUCATION for new mothers, teens, diabetics and cancer patients
Sports Equipment to keep kids ACTIVE, off the streets & drugs
School Supplies to help EDUCATE the island’s children
Kitchen Supplies that help serve the ONLY MEAL OF THE DAY for 100+ impoverished and shut-in
and even teddy bears to SOOTHE & COMFORT hospitalized kids!
Roatan Island, off the northern coast of Honduras, is part of the Bay Islands in the western Caribbean Sea. It is a very special place to its residents as well as the many tourists who visit this piece of paradise. Although breathtaking and rich in natural beauty, the island is home to people suffering from a lack of life’s basic necessities. As part of the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Roatan’s large local population includes some living with no running water and rudimentary sanitation. Education and medical care are just now reaching some communities.
ROSE collects, transports and delivers donated supplies and equipment to qualifying reputable and fully-vetted local non-government organizations (NGO), nonprofit groups like
– City Hospital and local Medical, Dental & Vision clinics
– Sports leagues & groups, including futbol/soccer clubs
– Pre-K, Elementary and Middle Schools
– local Soup Kitchen
Together we can make life-changing differences for needy children and families living on Roatan. Contact us to learn more about our organization and how you can build a better future. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, all gifts to ROSE are fully tax-deductible and we appreciate and thank you for your valuable support. Please consider a gift today!
LIFE TAKES WINGS & FLIGHT!
Roatan Island has inspired Captain Lynn Rippelmeyer, female aviation pioneer and our Founder and Board President, to document her historic life and learnings in an inspirational and humorous 2-book memoir, Life Takes Wings and Life Takes Flight. Sales of the books benefit Roatan and its wonderful people so enjoy exciting, real life adventure while helping out those less fortunate.
LIFE TAKES WINGS & LIFE TAKES FLIGHT are available now at LifeTakesWings.com
SHARE OUR VISION
ROSE is a diverse group of individuals dedicated to helping the less fortunate of Honduras. The Honduran foundations, charities, and projects ROSE supports are well-managed and display wisdom, honesty and inclusiveness in their staff and their programs. Your contributions, combined with our efforts, work to improve the lives of Roatan’s people.
A Message from our Founder & Board President:
ROSE began many years ago when I was flying daily commercial flights into Honduras. Passengers often included missionaries and medical teams who volunteered their time and service to the country’s poor population. I made friends with people on the island of Roatán who were doing their part to help the impoverished people by creating and supporting clinics, schools, sports programs and an animal shelter. After witnessing the desperate need there I began bringing supplies in on my flights, during my days off, and while on vacation. I also invited friends and family to come help.
After my retirement from the airlines I continued to use my travel privileges to deliver equipment and supplies, for I knew it was by far the cheapest way to transport the essential products needed by these foundations. I soon realized that the formation of a nonprofit organization was needed. By collecting funds and supplies, the work we were doing would be even more effective and far-reaching. It would also provide a means for more people to experience the wonderful feeling of giving and helping others. My personal involvement and hands-on approach coupled with my knowledge of the Honduran organizations’ heart-felt desire to help others guarantees that all contributions will be used as intended.
Board of Directors
Captain LYNN RIPPELMEYER, President
RUTHLYNN BLACK, Treasurer
MARCI CLARK, Secretary
YVONNE GARCIA DENBINA
Artist, healing touch spiritual ministry instructor & practitioner, owner of the Garden of the Dragonfly gallery in Spring TX & former president UNESCO Bioethics Art Competition. Yvonne believes in supporting ROSE because she is interested in emotional, spiritual, mental & physical healing through whatever means, talents, abilities, energies and Guidance provides.
JUDY S. BUNCH
Known as Reverend Judy, she retired in 2007 from a lifetime of supporting others in the medical field and has since followed her passions. She is the owner of FeatherWhisperMInistries.com and desires to serve others for their highest good. She serves ROSE because she believes in helping however she can to support those in need. It is said the fastest way to her heart is through her cat. Carpe Diem.
MARY CHIMARUSTI
Mary has over 40 years of executive experience in quality management, organizational development and leadership training, manufacturing operations and process engineering and is a certified ISO 9001/Q1 Quality System Auditor. Mary holds two degrees, an MBA – emphasis in human resource management and Bachelors of Educational Psychology with advanced units in manufacturing technology and was an instructor at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Business School. Her other interests include acrylic painting and playing music in her church folk choir. She has also served her place of worship as Board President, Human Resource Chair, Leadership Development member and Coordinator for the Cancer Support Groups.
CHRISS P. FLYNN
Irish though born in New York, Chriss serendipitiously was connected to Roatan Support Effort on her first visit to the island. Seeing the spirit, heart and impact of ROSE, she now volunteers as digital coordinator. A writer, producer & creative director, Chriss has been blessed with interesting careers in sports and entertainment television on both coasts, and now lives and loves life in the mountains outside of Aspen, Colorado. She’s a pisces, favorite color green, most often found reading, inline skating, behind the wheel or near the water.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Through your generous support, ROSE partners with Roatán‘s most impactful organizations to provide them with the means to do their humanitarian work. Requested items and cash donations can be snail mailed to ROSE’s address or easily made electronically below. Monetary donations give us the flexibility to purchase the exact items needed and cover transportation costs. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
All administrative work is done by volunteers, allowing 100% of your donation to go to its intended purpose.
Roatán Support Effort
P.O. Box 8322 Spring, TX 77387
Now in our fifth year (!), we transport and deliver an average of 2 shipments a month that directly and consistently improve the lives of Roatan’s children, families and adults. Some of what is transported:
Powdered Nutrition
Uniforms
Cookware
Tablets/iPhones
Medical Feeding Bags/Tubing
Medical Equipment
Supports
Baby Formula & Food
Cleats/Shin Guards
Birth Control
Printer/Scanner/Faxes
Medical Syringes/Needles
Wheelchairs & Walkers
Baby & Adult Diapers
School Supplies
Soccer Balls
Utensils
Computers
Medical Gloves
Medical Prep Kits
Orthopedic
Additionally, ROSE regularly delivers maintenance and cooking supplies and spices to the Hospital and local Soup Kitchen, and provides food to the animals, clothing and shoes to the workers.
Health & Family Clinics are in constant need of equipment, medical supplies and educational materials which the clinic staff orders from Amazon. Everything is delivered to ROSE in Houston, and packed to maximum weight and size limit. Additional donated, refurbished and purchased items are also collected and packed for delivery before being flown to Roatan monthly. In addition to the transportation of these much-needed items, donations help with the collection process and with the local purchase of medicine and supplies.
Community Health Programs take clinic care and education into the outlying villages to teach expecting mothers about prenatal care, new mothers about baby care, teens about sex education, diabetic patients about nutrition, women breast cancer awareness, and parents about the necessity for vaccines.
Donations to ROSE help cover the cost to distribute education materials and transportation.
Athletic Programs such as Soccer (fútbol) and basketball are popular on the island and help keep the youth involved in healthy activities, learning teamwork. Teams need soccer cleats, uniforms, #3 and #4 soccer balls, basketballs (deflated balls, please), athletic shoes, and more…
ROSE has partnered with a local organization, Kids Kingdom, that is providing hope through soccer and education to poor kids living in rural areas. This group serves the community with very little help and resources.
Houston’s DREAM (Dynamo/Dash Rewarding Equipment Apparel Mission) youth soccer team has been a valuable sponsor, and in addition to transporting soccer equipment and apparel, ROSE donations pay for field rental, referees, transportation to practice, games, and tournaments.
Schools require students to wear uniforms. Those too poor to purchase them don’t attend. ROSE delivers books and supplies. ROSE donations help pay for uniforms and school supplies.
Soup Kitchen A free bowl of soup is served daily to those unable to provide for themselves. Over 100 men, women, and children depend on this program for their one daily meal. The kitchen also makes and delivers a soup specially made for diabetic patients who are unable to come to the kitchen.
SUCCESS STORIES
Community Health: ROSE has been helping the community health programs delivering liquid protein drinks for those too weak or sick to eat, adult diapers, breast cancer awareness materials, sex education information, prenatal care classes, diabetes awareness and treatment.
Sports Programs: Rose found some of the donated shoes happened to be cleats, so a fútbol club was organized that required players to be in school and in good standing with teacher, minister and parents to be eligible. For the first time, the teams were recognized by mainland Honduras and invited to tournaments where scouts saw the players’ talent. Four of the 15-year old boys were offered sponsorship – their future training and equipment paid for in hopes they would play on the national team. One boy is now playing professional soccer in Honduras. It has given the boys hope, an incentive to do well and a way “off the island”.
Clean Water: A clean water system was successfully installed in an island community recently, drastically reducing disease in the area. The men who installed the system can now bring their expertise to other communities. But they need funds for the equipment and supplies. ROSE helps spread the word to get community support.
Schools: ROSE strengthens the classroom experience by providing books, uniforms and school supplies for students.
Your gift will do so much more!
CONTACT
DONATIONS
MAILING ADDRESS
Roatán Support Effort
9650 Crestwater Circle
Magnolia, TX 77354
EMAIL ADDRESS