If you ever questioned whether the youth of Barrington have “heart,” all you have to do is hear them speak about service work. I have heard first-hand accounts of fulfilling mission trips across the country from local youth and my own clan, who volunteered for the poor through Lutheran Church of the Atonement and Barrington United Methodist Church.
Yet, this year’s interview with the Coy family of Fox Point has been exceptionally moving. They, and more than 70 other volunteers from Barrington’s “Hope’s Up” organization, flew to Guatemala this summer to serve the incredibly huge “Garbage Dump Community” of Guatemala City alongside local group “Potter’s House.”
“Our entire family went,” said Rayanne Coy, who served alongside her husband, Dr. Dale Coy, and their children, Nick, Addison, Alexa and Matt. “It’s cool because you get to work alongside your kids and actually do something to change someone else’s life.”
The “Garbage Dump Community” currently consists of about 13,000 devastatingly poor individuals, 50 percent children, broken down into about sixteen groups. Many of these people “make their living” by literally picking through the garbage, scavenging for recyclables or materials to make things from.
Rayanne and Dale’s eldest son, Nick, said “One woman I met collected glass bottles to recycle or resell, and she said she was lucky to get about one to two dollars a day.”
But, these people’s “lot in life” is slowly improving, due to volunteer and fundraising efforts: some residents are now starting to earn a living at more “mainstream” jobs, such as making tortillas, sewing dresses, working in factories or even driving delivery trucks.
Potter’s House, the local Guatemalan service organization, was conceptualized when a Guatemalan woman named Gladys Guiz was asked to bring blankets for the “Garbage Dump Community” over 29 years ago, in order serving the young “treasures.”
Potter’s House is now a not-for-profit organization that works in the garbage dump community to develop children programs and sponsorship, build houses, and provide medical treatment. This is the third year Barrington’s “Hope’s In” has partnered with Guiz and Potter’s House.
“Hope’s In” is one of the few service organizations that is really run by students, with an advisory board of parents.
“Courtney and Ashley Quigley gets all of the kudos for starting it,” said Rayanne. “And it’s growing by leaps and bounds and is now becoming a 501(c)3 organization.”
Formerly called “Hope’s In Style” the group is well known in Barrington for its annual fashion show fundraiser. Recently, the Rotary and BHS Interact Clubs have joined in with “Hope’s In” to help with projects such as “Hope in Stride” to collect slightly used shoes for the children. Also, this year the Interact Club came up with the idea of making “Merry Meals,” and packed approximately 4,000 non-perishable meals at Barrington’s Christkindlemarkt, which were shipped to Guatemala.
“It’s a combination of coming up with an idea for helping the community and fundraising.” added Rayanne. “We are hopeful that the kids in the high school will continue to come up with creative ideas on ways to serve the people of Guatemala.”
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Besides local efforts, “Hope’s In” mission volunteers work in many areas each summer.
“The group of volunteers has basically tripled in size.” said Rayanne.
Two years ago “Hope’s In” started bringing doctors, such as Michael and Christine Young, down from Barrington in order to establish a medical clinic.
“Last year the four doctors that went saw about 450 patients,” said Rayanne. “This year they brought in Dr. Michael Warheit, Dr. Ning Wu, Dr. Dale Coy as well as nurse practitioner, Linda Ingram, and they treated over 300 patients.”
Ashley Quigley worked to raise a $3,000 grant for medications and supplies for the clinics, and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital and Centegra Woodstock generously donated medicines and supplies.
Visit their website to become involved at hopesinstyle.com.
Late summer news? [email protected].
Kimberly Albrecht is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.