My name is Julie Manuel. I am married to a wonderful man and together we have 4 college-aged children.  I am a 4^th grade teacher in Littleton, Colorado, and have been teaching for about 20 years and absolutely love what I do.  As a teacher, I have the unique opportunity to affect children in a very practical and tangible way on a daily basis.

I have been teaching 4^th grade for 14 years now, mainly because part of the curriculum requires teaching the kids about my passion…..AFRICA!  Africa is an amazing continent with beautiful and exotic animals and a wide variety of geographic regions to study.  But the most fascinating part to me is the unique people that call this place their home.  The people leave you wondering how it is that their joy is so pure, when their daily struggles seem so raw.

The needs in Africa seem insurmountable, yet every little thing we do changes a life for the better.   The monetary things we give seem so little to us, but those things present hope and opportunity to them.  The time that we spend in the Maasai community is life-changing, but it is “Us,” who return changed for the better.  When we dare to step out of the comforts of our world, to experience someone else’s world, something truly amazing happens to the human heart.  I try to teach this in my classroom, but the deeper hope is that everyone finds their, “Africa, ” whatever that may be.  To some, that may mean helping downtown at a shelter. To others, that could be helping your next door neighbor.  It is my hope that everyone finds their, “Africa!”

Visit Julie on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/julie.donohuemanuel or contact her via email at jmanuel@ronesa.com.