YARMOUTH – About 150 people attended a gathering at Yarmouth High School to remember the founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children whose families make their living scavenging in the Guatemala City garbage dump.

The event Friday marked the first anniversary of the death of Hanley Denning, the 36-year-old Bowdoin College graduate from Yarmouth who founded Safe Passage in 1999. She was killed in a car crash in Guatemala.

Safe Passage works to break the cycle of poverty by helping children get an education and providing them with medical care and meals. The organization has about 100 staff members, attracts hundreds of volunteers and has a $1.6 million budget.