Rebeca Lan Foundation.
Rashel Galicot was born in Texas and raised in Mexico City where she lived and studied until 1996. She currently lives in San Diego, and is the director of the Rebeca Lan Foundation (RLF). Following in her mother’s footsteps and determined to keep her mother’s passion to aid the less fortunate, Rashel founded the RLF. Despite her work schedule, she still makes her family her priority – she is a mother of four and a devoted wife. Rashel has been kind enough to share with us how she balances it all and after interviewing her, I can tell you that there are no excuses for not making a difference in someone else’s life. This is her story.
From a very young age Rashel felt a calling to help people in adverse circumstances. In 2016 she incorporated the Rebeca Lan Foundation whose mission is to help incarcerated women and their children, who either live with in prison or in orphanages, by providing emotional, physical, intellectual and social assistance. This initiative came about after Rashel visited a prison in Mexico City and was shocked to see the conditions under which children were living. However, the inspiration came from Rashel’s mother, whose personal struggles in life set forth a path to fight for women’s rights; that is why the foundation is named after her.
Rashel is the mastermind behind the organization’s programs, offering diverse workshops that focus on mental and physical health, personal growth, culture and recreation. She has been focused on creating, enabling and improving the conditions of libraries in women’s prisons throughout Mexico and firmly believes they deserve a second chance. “No matter that these women are imprisoned for, they still deserve to be treated with decency and provided with the necessary tools for them to achieve healthy reintegration to society”, Rashel tells Giving Back Magazine. The Foundation has also remodeled the home for the children who live in prison and has created a program where they are not only taught to play music but, most importantly, how to heal their wounds through music.
Whether she is helping others or supporting her children and husband, Rashel is always on the go. There is a lot at stake for her and the organization and it can be stressful, but she has learned to successfully balance it all. Her job might be highly demanding but she shares that this endeavor has become her personal therapy as well as a healing mechanism. Rashel exercises regularly and stays healthy spiritually through gratitude, but what truly keeps her balanced is her loving family. It is the love and support she receives from them that makes it all worthwhile. She shares with Giving Back Magazine, “To strike a balance, I strive to give my husband and children quality time, which in turn enriches me to better serve the mission and vision of the RLF and make all the projects a reality”.
To learn more about the Rebeca Lan Foundation, please visit www.fundacionrebecalan.org.
