Raasin McIntosh {Inspirational Women}

Raasin in the Sun

Words by Jess Hagemann Photos by Eric Morales 

This Houston-born Olympic athlete first moved to Austin in 2000 to run track at the University of Texas. After officially retiring from her career as a hurdler, Raasin McIntosh founded Raasin in the Sun, a nonprofit “urban beautification” initiative serving the greater Austin area and beyond.

Raasin in the Sun’s mission is to “support communities, unite residents, and erase deterioration” through neighborhood cleanups, vacant lot restorations, and mural projects that employ local artists. Variously referred to as “Project Clean” and “Project Green,” so far this year Raasin in the Sun has mobilized more than 75 adult volunteers and as many as 300 kids to beautify their immediate environments.

A Project Clean neighborhood cleanup in June removed an entire dump truck’s worth of visible trash from 12th and Chicon Streets. Volunteers rallied to the tune of “Be the Solution, Not the Pollution.” In conjunction with ATX Kids Club, children between the ages of 4-15 assisted March’s Project Green undertaking: a seven-foot vertical herb garden benefitting Cafe Cultivo (2512 E. 12th St). Over three days, wood, mulch, concrete, and soil were transformed into a “masterpiece.” For their help, the kids enjoyed a hands-on educational experience and lunches catered by Cultivo.

Other Raasin in the Sun events have included tree planting days, a school supply drive, and a Hurricane Harvey relief concert for McIntosh’s hometown of Houston, because as she says, “There’s a need everywhere—not just in East Austin. I live on East 12th,” she continues, “so naturally I started here, but future projects will serve the whole city, or be national—even international—in scope, because we want to transcend the idea of community as being bigger than your own backyard.”

McIntosh got the idea for Raasin in the Sun when she traveled to Africa for a track competition. There, she says, she reveled in “the energy of the fans, especially the kids,” who “pushed me to be the best that I could be.” Recognizing that she could inspire and lead others by example, and that “If I want to see the change, I have to be it,” McIntosh started Raasin in the Sun to let her light shine. “I had no control over my name,” she laughs, “but the sun represents the light, and light catches.”

Read about our other featured inspirational women here.

Follow Raasin in the Sun on Instagram and Facebook to get involved in the upcoming Rosewood community cleanup and a new high school mural contest.

Contact:
raasininthesun.org
@raasininthesun