Blanca Vasquez, CEO and president of Rosas Blancas, was born in Honduras. At only 13 years of age, she assisted with community meetings in her town. The town did not have running water or electricity, a significant problem that the community working together could solve. This lack of resources inspired Blanca to evolve into a community leader. Blanca was shy at first but realized how you approach people defines how they respond. Finally, the town had water and electricity thanks to the effort of Blanca and her community.

At the age of 20, Blanca was able to observe that so many children in the community did not have the opportunity of receiving preschool education due to a lack of transportation and preschool centers. Blanca was now an elementary teacher working as a voluntary secretary in the "Nacaome Project" by World Vision. The Project is an initiative to bring solar power to impoverished countries.

Blanca wanted to get an education for all children in her village. So, she engaged in the first steps, which were: Get the community together to speak about the importance of preschool education, While the community leaders were fighting for support and the center's approval. Blanca was teaching children in her community in a small house donated for free. With resilience and community support, the government approved the construction of the public preschool center and a preschool center built in 1990.

Bringing much-needed resources and education to her town in Honduras, Blanca realized her passion was working for and with the community. Blanca arrived in the United States on November 23, 1993. However, her passion for helping the community has not faded. She has worked in numerous community initiatives for the State of Virginia. Most recently, Blanca was the Community Health Program Manager for the Covid 19, continuing to bring much-needed resources to her new community of Fairfax County. Blanca created Rosas Blancas from her life story to continue her mission of creating a healthy and robust community. The mission of Rosas Blancas is to Empower

the community to live a resilient life through educational opportunities, supportive tools, and collaboration with community partners. Since its inception, Rosas Blancas has brought much-needed resources to residents of Fairfax County. Resources such as food, rental assistance, educational assistance, and health care. Rosas Blancas has also brought the community together with their soccer team and financial and community-building classes. Rosas Blancas has created stronger bonds that encourage communities to solve issues together.

Blanca's advice to new country residents is not to isolate themselves. Instead, get involved in your community; There is beauty in having such a diverse culture in our communities. All of us are one community, and we all should continue to serve in any capacity we can. Blanca created Rosas Blancas to continue her mission of creating a healthy and robust community.