Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney McGovern.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Courtney. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
A week before my 16th birthday I stood on stage in the entertainment center of a nursing home with a message to share at Hope’s in Style, a fashion show fundraiser my twin sister and I started. My knees were buckling, I was wearing a navy and blue striped dress from Forever 21, and I pleaded through tears for our community to stand with me, for one little girl and her family in Guatemala City.
My heart had been shattered by the reality that awaited a 15-year-old teenage girl who was soon going to give birth to her firstborn child. She lived in the garbage dump communities of Zone 3 in Guatemala City. I feared her baby would know the terror of rat bites in the night, wet clothes and bed sheets from a rainy day, or instability and fear from an unlocked front door. It was so hard and out of my comfort zone but with the help of my twin sister, Ashley, my family and friends, we got brave, we got bold, and we asked people to embark on a journey with us.
I had spent the previous summer in Guatemala City interning for a nonprofit there called Potters House Association and decided I had to do something when I returned. That day at the first annual Hope’s in Style, with great wonder and surprise we funded our organization’s first two homes in Zone 3 of Guatemala City. 6 years have passed and we have built 29 homes in Guatemala City, started an annual medical outreach team, launched a medical endowment fund, and have led over 300 volunteers to serve alongside us in Guatemala City with Potters House Association through our own nonprofit, HOPE’S IN NFP.
I graduated this past December from New York University with a major in nonprofit organization management and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, I landed my dream job as Executive Director of HOPE’S IN NFP and immediately began independently fundraising for my compensation.
My new role at Hope’s In is not to sustain our impact, but to multiply it. This summer I will be doing an NYU Sponsored research project to help define unmet needs in Zone 3. This data will help HOPE’S IN craft a sustainable and informed additional program in Guatemala City. I dream of the day we are alongside Potters House opening doors to a Hope’s In building that will create new opportunities for some of Zone 3’s most vulnerable individuals. I dream of getting every family in this city and beyond engaged with meaningful service experiences.
I may be 6 years older from that first fashion show. Perhaps 6 years stronger. 6 years wiser? Well, you’d have to ask my mom about that… But I am still that heartbroken teenage girl who’s heart is on fire for a change in Zone 3, for sturdy homes, for peaceful nights sleeps, for dry pillows to lay your head down to rest, for doors that lock and safeguard the little ones at home. That’s still me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been easy leading HOPE’S IN. I was just 15 when my twin sister and I co-founded the organization. I have grown up alongside this organization, trying my best to steward the time, talent and resources people have invested into it. Throughout this journey, I have overcome doubt in myself as a leader time after time and have tried to give it my best at all times, whatever that looked like in the moment.
Also, as I have walked along the family who inspired the beginning of this organization I have been heartbroken by their challenges. One major challenge disrupted the family for over 3 years when the mother of the family was unrightfully incarcerated. The children struggled through financial instability as she was the sole provider for the family upon her arrest. Thankfully their grandma was able to intervene and supported the family by scavenging in the garbage dump.
Also, two of the teenage girls in the family are currently pregnant. It breaks my heart to see them fall into poverty’s vicious cycle. I pray that it doesn’t run its course throughout the entirety of their lives. I still have hope for them though, that’s why our nonprofit was called HOPE’S IN in the first place. It’s something we can never lose for humanity.
Hope’s In NFP – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
HOPE’S IN NFP is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the families living in Zone 3 of Guatemala City and developing the next generation of humanitarian leaders. We do this through building homes, running medical clinics, and sponsoring educational programs in Guatemala City. Each summer we lead teams from the Chicagoland area to travel with us in Guatemala.
HOPE’S IN NFP funds their impact through an annual fashion show fundraiser, Hope’s in Style. Hope’s in Style showcases student and stylist models who rock their hope inspired look on the runway!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is a student encountering a meaningful service experience. Success is a family in Guatemala City that doesn’t have to go to sleep on a wet mattress because their roof was leaking all day in the rain. Success is conquering a fear or doubt in my own leadership abilities and reminding myself it’s not about me, it’s all about impact. Success is ending the day with my friends and family knowing they are valued and loved.
Pricing:
- To Fund a Home in Guatemala City = $7,500 Donation
- To Donate to Our Medical Endowment- $100
- To Donate towards our Sponsored Classrooms- $50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hopesin.org
- Phone: 8475421577
- Email: courtney@hopesin.org
- Instagram: hopes_in
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopesInStyle/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
