She had been teaching in North Carolina after receiving her master’s degree in education from Wheelock College and was frustrated by her inability to communicate with her Spanish-speaking students.

Upon arriving in Guatemala, Hanley began volunteering with children and adults living in small towns near Antigua, Guatemala, in an effort to improve her Spanish.

One year extended into two and just as Hanley was preparing to return to the United States, a good friend named Regina Palacios urged her as a favor to accompany her on a visit to the slums adjacent to the Guatemala City Dump.

That visit changed her life.

Ever since graduating from Bowdoin College in 1992, Hanley has worked tirelessly on behalf of at-risk children.

The reality facing children at the Guatemala City garbage dump was unlike anything she had ever seen. She knew she had to do something.

The very same week she visited the dump she sold her computer and her car and using some money she had in savings, opened the doors of Safe Passage by enrolling 40 of Guatemala’s poorest children in school. These children couldn’t afford the books, school supplies and enrollment fee required by the public school. This initial group received tutoring, a healthy snack, and the caring and attention they so desperately needed. Another 70 children participated in a drop in program when they weren’t working in the dump.

On January 18, 2007, Hanley was killed in a tragic automobile accident in Guatemala.  However, through her many admirers and dedicated Safe Passage staff and volunteers, her vision continues, stronger than ever.

Today Safe Passage provides over 550 children with education and social services. Most are the first in their families ever to go to school.

Safe Passage is a refuge for children contending with situations marked by extreme poverty, neglect and abuse.

Hanley’s story reminds us of the power of one person’s vision to make a difference. The children in her care remind us of all there is to hope for.

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