Fashion and compassion will work hand-in-hand on February 24, 1- 4 p.m., when Barrington High School students present a charity fashion show called “Hope’s In Style” at the Garlands Center for The Performing Arts, 1000 Garlands Lane, Barrington, Ill. All proceeds from the event will go to Potter’s House Association to build a house for 8-year-old Monica Morales and her seven family members who are currently living in squalor conditions at the Guatemala City garbage dump in Guatemala.

The idea for this event was born when Barrington High School junior Courtney Quigley, interned for a month in Guatemala with Potter’s House, an organization that helps more than 11,000 people currently living in garbage dump communities in Guatemala. During her work there this past summer, Ms. Quigley was captivated by Monica, whose resilient personality astonished the teen. Monica and her family live in a 9×10 tin shack in the dump. The conditions are such that children and parents are woken up nightly by large rats that try to bite them as they sleep. Especially for newborn babies, such as Monica’s niece who lives with her, these rat bites can be deadly.

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