From Lessons to Legacy: Trailblazing a Resilient Future for the Mold Community
Written by Mariam Khalili
Mariam is the newest executive director of Malachi’s Message Foundation. She is also a mold survivor, mother, holistic homes professional, and considers herself a bonified ‘moldie’ that finds great comfort in her passion for serving others.
You can read her biography here.
Founded by Emily Rachal and Elizabeth Cripe, trailblazers in the mold community, Malachi’s Message Foundation was born out of a critical need for services they dearly wished were available when they suffered from the consequences of prolonged toxic mold exposure. Together with a group of incredible women, they not only raised awareness and funds for toy replacement but also created a budding platform for support and education that, in just three years, has become a beacon of hope for many navigating the despair often associated with living or working in water-damaged environments.
Today, our nonprofit offers much more than toy replacement for children. Our programs have expanded to include seven types of financial assistance for residents of Texas, a globally recognized podcast on all things MOLD, and a comprehensive virtual emotional support program accessible worldwide. This growth embodies our guiding principle: You Are Not Alone.
As with any new nonprofit organization, it's formed by people with BIG, compassionate hearts, who understand firsthand the needs of community members - founders are often victims of adversity who are driven to prevent others from enduring similar hardships; and so a nonprofit is born. There are always mistakes made, lessons learned, trials and tribulations experienced. All organizations go through growing pains, and even with great success, there is always going to be struggle. Grant programs are created, and sometimes fail in the early years due to insufficient funding, or lack of bandwidth, but through it all, a healthy organization builds upon its weaknesses and grows stronger than ever.
Malachi’s Message Foundation was blessed to have a pioneer and founding member as its very first, unpaid executive director, who worked alongside her co-founder, and dedicated board members to create something TANGIBLE - something beautiful, remarkable, and POWERFUL. They created something that offends the darker aspects of our society, those who wish to deceive, manipulate, and CONTROL the narrative. This is part of the nonprofit world that is often hidden, swept under the rug, and ignored, but it's a problem especially within the mold industry.
Many of you know the story of Malachi Rachal, the infant whose tragic passing from anencephaly due to fusarium mold exposure inspired our foundation’s name. Malachi’s Message Foundation was previously represented by a gentle drawing of a young boy holding a balloon. What many do not know is that his parents, Emily and Josh Rachal, used the symbol of a lion to honor his memory, a symbol of courage and strength in the face of their tragic loss. Before they ever knew of Malachi’s illness, the lion was the theme for his beautiful nursery.
“Today, we unveil our new logo for the foundation, a logo that exemplifies STRENGTH, POWER, and FEARLESSNESS.”
Today, we unveil our new logo for the foundation, a logo that exemplifies STRENGTH, POWER, and FEARLESSNESS. The new logo features a stunning lion standing protectively over a home with a brightly lit window, depicting the hope from within, and the strength and power of the protective lion above. This new logo perfectly illustrates Malachi’s Message Foundation and all that we hope to embody as the years move forward - a place for unbiased information, the right to choose what form of healing modality is best for your unique situation by accessing our evolving mold-aware practitioner directory, the right to free resources and education provided by mold experts from across the country featured on the Toxic Mold Sucks Podcast and the brand new Stories of Hope Blog, and an expanding array of new educational resources featured on the website like the Mold FAQ section, Mold Glossary, and more to come soon.
However, with the organization’s early growth came new challenges. In 2023, we received an overwhelming influx of assistance applications, far exceeding our available resources and forcing us to temporarily pause new applications—a decision that weighed heavily on the board and founders. This experience has spurred us to push even harder for the resources needed to support our community promptly. More than 108 individuals and families reached out to us during this time.
Since joining the organization in January 2024 as a seasoned executive director and fundraiser, I have been slowly creating the building blocks necessary to properly and consistently fundraise, write grants, and take the beautiful organization that we all see today, and prepare it for its next era - what GOD willing will be a major transformation and turning point and facilitate expanded services and elevated support for all who are suffering as a result of toxic mold exposure. For the last several months I have spent evenings building our brand new website so we would not have to spend critical dollars on website development. Lauren Cloud, board member of Malachi’s Message and an extremely talented graphic designer, took our ideas and inspiration and created the devastatingly ferocious LION logo that we all get to enjoy from this point forward. We are working together to do all we can. So we boldly ask, will you join us?
I ask you to help me spread the word about Malachi’s Message Foundation and the amazing legacy created by Emily Rachal and Elizabeth Cripe. Help us kick off this new era and spread our gorgeous new website and all of its valuable, free resources, FAR AND WIDE.
Finally, and most importantly, we are excited to launch a vital fundraising campaign with the goal of raising at least $50,000 by June 30th. Every contribution will directly support individuals and families on our waiting list for urgent financial assistance. Reaching this target will allow us to cut our waiting list for the financial assistance program for Texas residents in half, offering immediate relief to numerous families in need.
From toy replacement to comprehensive financial assistance, here’s what those on our waiting list are anxiously awaiting funding for:
Mold Remediation Reimbursement
Medical Expense Reimbursement
Temporary Housing Assistance
Clothing Reimbursement
Mold Assessment Reimbursement
Toy Replacement
Furniture Replacement
Your support could be the difference in quickly meeting the needs of those suffering. Can we count on you or your business to help us reach our goal? We are incredibly blessed to already have received two separate and extremely generous $5,000 donations from Texas Mold Inspectors and Well Built Tiny Homes LLC, getting us off to a roaring start!
We look forward to a time when there is no waiting list, and immediate support is a reality for all who reach out to us.
Help us spread the word about Malachi’s Message Foundation and the critical work we are doing. Join us in this pivotal moment and be a part of our community's healing and recovery.
With heartfelt thanks,
Mariam Khalili
Executive Director
