"Philanthropist, Enthusiast, and Advocate" are three words Rachel Richards uses to describe herself. Growing up in a small town in central Minnesota as a tomboy, Rachel was active in rodeo, volleyball and modeling. Through her participation in sports, she has learned that hard work, persistence and dedication are what it takes to persevere and succeed. Rachel works as a full-time model, television co-host, actress, and model manager. She has walked the runways for LA Fashion Week, designer Bill Blass and most importantly to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. You can see her on the big screen appearing in the feature film "Surfer Dude" starring Matthew McConoughey and in "Entourage" on HBO. Rachel is a co-host for boxing events on Fox Sports and is a model manager for two major promotional agencies in the US.
Philanthropy is close to Rachel's heart and she has raised over $100,000 for Breast Cancer Awareness. Her grandfather (who died of lung cancer) told her before he passed, "Every obstacle has an opportunity, every opportunity has a gift, it's up to you to use that gift". Rachel believes her gift is her open heart, her open mind, and her passion for her platform. As Miss Edina International 2009, Rachel has already enlightened and encouraged her peers by speaking about precautionary measures for this deadly disease. She is competing for the title of Miss Minnesota International 2009 in hopes to spread her message of Breast Cancer Action, Awareness, and Advocacy on a state and national level.
