This mom is giving kids in her community clothes, education, and a link to their Native American culture

By Allie Torgan, CNN

Sacaton, Arizona (CNN) — Often, the calls from case workers come with great urgency. A baby, a toddler – a child who is in desperate need of a safe home.

For Elisia Manuel, one of those urgent calls came in 2012. There was an infant in need of immediate care.

“A case manager said, ‘You have 48 hours, and we need this car seat back,’” Manuel said. “That’s where I knew we needed to make a change. We needed to figure out resources.”

It was Manuel’s own experience as a foster parent and adoptive mother that led her to start her nonprofit, Three Precious Miracles, a volunteer-run organization that supports vulnerable Native American youth and their families.

Manuel, who says she is Apache and Mexican, and her husband, Tecumseh, an enrolled member of Gila River Indian Community, became licensed foster parents in 2012 with his tribe in Arizona. Across the state, Native American children are overrepresented in the foster care system, while there is a shortage of Native American foster parents.

“Within six months I became a mom to four children that were all under the age of 2 years old,” Manuel said. “I tell people, ‘I was abundantly blessed.’”

To help Native American children and anyone who has stepped up to care for them, Manuel started collecting basic items like clothing, diapers, toiletries, and toys and distributing them from her warehouse on the Gila River Indian Community.

“If it’s a mom that can’t provide diapers or if there’s a young person that has a need for shoes, then we want to try to help support that need,” Manuel said. “If we have the stuff, we’ll give it to you.”

Reigniting the cultural connection

As Manuel became more involved with families in her community, she discovered that needs often extended beyond foster and adoptive families. Today, she helps fill in gaps and provide resources for all Native American children.

Manuel also heard from caregivers who valued keeping a child connected to their cultural and historical roots.

“Here in the state of Arizona, we have 22 beautiful tribes that surround us, corner to corner,” Manuel said. “I had non-Native foster parents, and grandparents raising children, even some group homes say, ‘How do I get my kids connected to culture?’”

Manuel understands firsthand how important a connection to family and culture can be.

“I never really knew much about my Apache side,” she said. “In my late 20s, I found out a little bit more. They welcomed me with open arms, they blessed me tremendously. They did a special ceremony at my house (and) named me Beautiful Sunflower. I felt like they were holding me up. That’s how I want these kids to feel.”

Manuel started a quilting project where elders make quilts for children in foster care depicting their tribal affiliation. Her nonprofit also offers bead working classes, educational workshops, and parenting classes.

A sense of identity

In May, her organization held its second powwow, a cultural ceremony of blessings, songs, drumming, and dancing, where Native people from all tribes can come together.

For young people like 17-year-old Jaycob, who was adopted into a non-Native home when he was 7, the event is a way to stay connected to his roots and embrace his identity.

“There’s a lot of kids that are like me, they are struggling to find themselves,” he said. “It helps them. That inspires me to find out as much about who I am as a person and do what I can for my community.”

Manuel and her organization provide programming and cultural events for more than 800 Native American children and their families every year. Ultimately, she says her work is about building safe, positive, and culturally sensitive homes for all Native American children, no matter who is caring for them.

“There’s thousands of Native children that are in care. I want kids to come and feel like their sense of identity and culture is right there,” Manuel said. “I really want all these kids to know that they’ll always be accepted, they’ll be loved, and know where they come from.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Three Precious Miracles website and see how to help.

To donate to Three Precious Miracles via GoFundMe, click here

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