10/10/2026
Whether she's responding to emergencies or sitting around a craft table, Julie leads with compassion. Meet our Volunteer, Julie Durante.
Whether she's serving our community as a firefighter/paramedic or sitting around a craft table with a group of girls, Julie has a gift for making people feel safe, seen, and valued.
For years, she'd been searching for a way to serve youth impacted by trauma. Having overcome significant challenges in her own childhood, she knew she wanted to invest in kids who needed someone to believe in them. When Community of Hope introduced her to Hearts of Hope, she knew she had found exactly where she was meant to be.
If you've ever watched Julie with the girls, you quickly notice something special because she's all in with them...She sits beside them, laughs with them, listens and joins right in. The girls naturally gravitate toward her playful spirit, and before long they're simply enjoying the moment together.
When asked what stays with her, Julie didn't point to one particular memory. Instead, it's the collection of quiet moments. She notices the excitement in the girls when the team arrives and loves how peaceful conversations naturally unfold around the craft table. The girls' laughter settles into a special place in her heart. The feeling that, for just a little while, everyone can simply breathe reminds her how deeply this work is needed.
Her hope for every child is exactly what the name Hearts of Hope represents: "I want them to leave full of hope. Hope, human connection, and support are some of the greatest gifts we can give another person. One of the most powerful things we can leave with someone is knowing someone truly cares about them."
Julie believes changing a community doesn't always happen through big moments.
Sometimes it begins by showing up for one child.
"I truly believe making a difference in just one person's life makes all the difference."
Thank you, Julie, for your joyful spirit, compassionate heart, and for reminding these girls that hope is something worth holding onto...and something they never have to carry alone.