By Danielle Greenfield, age 11
My story starts four years ago - when I watched then-stranger Ramiro Ocasio jump onto the NYC subway tracks to save an elderly man who had fallen in.
It was the first, but not last time I would see a true hero in action, because it seemed that saving just one life wasn’t enough for Ramiro.
As I would learn, for the prior several years, Ramiro had had a tradition of saving money to spend on school supplies and other necessities that he would personally deliver to underprivileged children in his home country of Honduras.
Well - Ramiro and co-worker Jon Henes used the attention that the subway experience brought to kick those good deeds up a notch, and together they created The Foundation of Education in Honduras – a non-profit to build schools in rural Honduras.
Ramiro Ocasio and Danielle Greenfield in Choloma, Honduras
But like a true superhero, Ramiro would use his powers to see to it that FEIH would go on to do so much more. FEIH, it turns out, would impact the entire community: provide jobs, create a sense of purpose and pride, and provide perhaps for the first time, the possibility for these kids and their families to have a really successful future.
Because of Ramiro, I learned about his hometown of El Progreso, Honduras. I knew that there were thousands of kids like me who lived there, but I couldn’t grasp the concept that these kids didn’t have much of a chance at a fulfilling life: that many of the girls would become moms at a really early age, and the boys would often wind up in violent gangs.
I’ve been told that by growing up in Manhattan, I’ve been living in a bubble. A visit to Honduras would provide the opportunity to step way outside of that!
So, this past February, Ramiro, my mom, a FEIH team, and I traveled to Honduras to celebrate the opening of FEIH’s fourth school, Ramon Danilo Chavez, in the small town of Choloma. We flew into San Pedro Sula, which up until last year, was the city with the highest murder rate in the world!
Yes, I was scared. But we had ‘Ramiro the Hero’ leading the way!
Before we went to the new school, we stopped across the dirt road to see their old one.
I couldn’t believe it. It was a dark, dirty, falling-apart, one-room mess. It didn’t look safe to step into – it certainly couldn’t be good for learning.
Then we opened the gate to the yard of the new FEIH school. It was definitely not like my school on the Upper East Side, but it was beautiful. 6 classrooms, 7 individual bathrooms, a water tower which would allow the kids to actually flush the toilets and wash their hands. Unusual things for schools in rural Honduras; all things I’ve always taken for granted.
The exciting buzz throughout the school yard was electric. Everyone wanted a piece of Ramiro - and though he gladly gave it, he was always quick to give credit to his team. I noticed he gave his attention to everyone from the Mayor of Choloma to the smallest kids running around his legs. He was supervising the last bits of construction, while being interviewed by a news reporter. Kids were coming up to him for all kinds of reasons, and every one received his attention and smiles.
Although the school was surrounded by run-down, tin-roofed, tiny little homes - the school yard was rich with happiness and hope. The new playground was such a draw; I took a lot of time to, you know, test it out and make sure everything was in proper working order.
Apart from the playground, my favorite piece of the school had to be in the first classroom. That was where I found a plaque dedicating the room to the memory of my Aunt Diane Greenfield, a pediatrician who loved children. I never got to meet her, but I was named after her. Now other children will be connected to her, too.
The opening celebration made for a long, hot day, but it was as impactful as my mom had hoped it would be. Although there was a language barrier between me and the kids (hablo poquito Espanol), I learned so much from them.
Schoolchildren and Danielle Greenfield in Choloma, Honduras
And I saw that the Foundation for Education in Honduras is doing so much more than just building schools. With Ramiro in charge, FEIH is inspiring everyone involved to be compassionate, caring, hardworking, and dedicated.
I don’t know why I was scared to visit Honduras, I made new friends, was able to be useful; I was appreciated, and basically had a life-changing adventure.
While I love watching Marvel shows with my dad, this experience has taught me that all heroes aren't fictional. Ramiro may not have a supernatural power, but he has many of the attributes that DO make a hero: People are drawn to him, he is willing to risk his own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward, he has a supporting cast of recurring characters, and a distinctive costume consisting of a Boston Red Sox cap!
As FEIH’s first Youth Ambassador, I plan to learn, help and inspire others; Ayudar a inspirar a otros. Having Ramiro the Hero as a role model, how could I not?!
Visit here for more information on FEIH.
Danielle Greenfield is an NYC fifth-grader, who has spent her spare time helping others since she was five years old.
That year, she co-founded Grandpa Dave’s Creature Comforts, an organization which provides comfort and enrichment items to animals in the NYC ACC shelter system.
After spending her 2017 Spring Break in Honduras assisting with the opening of FEIH's fourth school, Danielle was honored with FEIH's inaugural Youth Ambassador award.