Lexine grew up in a rough neighborhood of East Los Angeles, with a single mom on welfare. Because of this, she understands the issues of the poor and underserved and has spent much of her life on making the world a better place for those who are disadvantaged.
Lexine received her Masters degree from UCBerkeley and became an LCSW (clinical social worker). She retired in 2018 from Kaiser Hospital. She has volunteered throughout her life: as a tutor at Richmond High School, a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth), a Big Sister to a young girl whose mother was incarcerated, for the Food Bank, Covenant House feeding the elderly homeless, and now as a middle school tutor in East Oakland for a program focused on helping black male youth.
Lexine became interested in the refugee crisis in 2015, when she saw the image of Alan Kurdi, a 3 year old Syrian refugee, drowned on the shores of Lesvos. Since that time she has made numerous trips to Lesvos and Athens, volunteering with NGO’s and works tirelessly for refugees abroad and at home.
April 2019): Planning to return this week to Lesvos for 3 weeks, volunteering with One Happy Family during the day and then with Nikos and Katerina (Home for All) in the afternoons and evenings. Then to Athens to work with refugees at Zaatar (a center working for refugees) and at night volunteering with Arash (a refugee who himself started feeding others at night out of Victoria and Exarchia Squares).
I cannot change the world but if I can make a difference to one person, one family, I am changing their world.
