Manuel in Minnesota: 2015

Woohoo! We are excited to announce that Manuel has safely made it to Minnesota! Rachael and Manuel arrived late Monday night from Nicaragua to a beautiful snowy Minnesota evening. Manuel has been spending the past couple days taking in all the new sights, tastes, and sensations, and getting to know our extended family. He is eager to experience his first "white" Christmas!

And none of this, and the many adventures to come, would have been possible without the amazing support from all of you! We continue to be full of gratitude for all the love you have shown us and Manuel. Thank you!

School starts January 4th for Manuel. We will send an update how the first day of school goes!

Merry Christmas!

First airplane ride!

Welcome to our blog!

Manuel Cantillano is a dynamic, dedicated, and kindhearted young man, whose dream is to get a U.S. college education! Matt and I have mentored and cheered on Manuel over the past decade as he has grown up at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage in Nicaragua, and we have seen his strength of spirit and perseverance; Manuel has been at the top of his class every year, and is a natural leader and talented athlete. Now Manuel is 19, has graduated from high school, and will finish a year of service to NPH in December.

This fund is to help pay for Manuel to go to college here in Minnesota, starting in January 2016! Every penny will go straight to his school (tuition, books, and fees) and health care costs. Matt and I will provide Manuel with a home, clothes, food, airfare, transportation, etc., and support him in every way we can. However, we need help paying for his tuition and health care! Our goal is to raise enough to cover his first year and a half: one semester of intensive English at Global Language Institute ($5,965), followed by one year of community college (≈$8,500), plus health care/insurance (≈$150/month). Any funds that we don’t use in the next year and a half, or any additional funds we may raise, will be held for his next year’s tuition.

We need to raise at least $12,000 in the next two weeks: the US Department of State requires that we prove our ability to fund his education when we apply for his F-1 Student Visa on September 1^st.

Manuel has taken full advantage of every opportunity he has been given, and we can’t think of anyone more deserving of this opportunity! Any amount is very much appreciated. Click on the link to donate:

http://www.youcaring.com/manuel-cantillano-409380

Thank you all!!
Rachael, Matt, Eli & Natalia Sebold