Hope’s In was co-founded by twin sisters, Ashley and Courtney Quigley in 2012 during their junior year of high school. The twin’s family had been doing international service work since they were just ten years old so they had developed a strong passion for serving and empowering others throughout their childhood however, it was the life of one little girl that inspired them to act bolder than ever before.
A PASSION TO SERVE THE POOR
INSPIRED BY A LITTLE GIRL NAMED MONICA
After Courtney Quigley interned with Potter’s House Association, a Guatemalan organization that works in the Guatemala City garbage dump communities, she decided to sponsor a little girl named Monica. Monica was a sweet 8 year old who was always kind to others and loved playing soccer in the alley by her house.
When the Quigley family discovered that Monica’s older sister was pregnant everyone agreed, they had to do something! They knew the living conditions the baby was about to be born into and their hearts broke as Monica and her four siblings lived in a tin, 10X10 shack. The insecurity of the walls created a dangerous environment. Rats were one of the dangers. Monica and one of her sisters had been treated previously for rat bites, which are known in the garbage dump communities to be life threatening to newborn babies.
THE BIRTH OF A YOUTH MOVEMENT
Ashley and Courtney began brainstorming ways to raise the funds for a new home
for Monica and her family. They came up with the idea of a fashion show fundraiser
one day sitting in Algebra class, they called it…
AND SO IT BEGAN...
The fundraiser was wildly successful, raising enough money for not just Monica’s home but enough for an additional home, as well. The Quigley family knew that a trip to Guatemala to build the additional home would be life-altering for people so they offered the opportunity to travel on a HOPE’S IN team to Guatemala to work with Potter’s House Association. Twenty-seven people from Barrington, IL signed up and said “yes” to a new adventure.
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HUMANITARIANS
Eleven years later, Hope’s in Style is no longer just an annual fundraiser, rather it laid the foundation for a full-blown organization. HOPE’S IN is dedicated to hope, empowerment and the goal of bringing purpose into people’s lives both abroad and here in the United States through serving others.
Today, HOPE’S IN has led over 500 volunteers to Guatemala, built 53 homes, and hosted 12+ weeks of medical clinics in partnership with Potter’s House Association. HOPE’S IN continues to grow and work toward a more empowered generation of humanitarians and a more hopeful Guatemala.