Long lauded for her striking good looks and fashion-forward golf attire, the Australian doesn't mind rolling up her sleeves and going to work to help others.
And even though she typically emits a sunny, upbeat personality, she is a woman with a tragic past who grew up without a mom. Her mother struggled with depression and committed suicide when Rawson was 5.
So now, to raise awareness for the charity called Inspire USA Foundation, and its efforts to support and assist individuals facing crossroads in their lives in a variety of health-related issues, Rawson is speaking out more about her own heartbreak. Working with the charity (www.inspireusafoundation.org), she wants others to know that there are places to go for help in times of need.
"I've had a lot of people write letters to me, telling me how they have lost a husband or a wife, with children to raise, and that I have given them hope to go on because of what I've been through in my life," said Rawson, 29, an LPGA rookie in 2008.
"People tend to focus on my looks and fashion, but now, I think many of them know there's more to me than what meets the eye," she added. "It's been kind of shocking to hear from so many people."
Rawson began working with Inspire early this year. She added an "eye-catching" designer golf bag with their logo emblazoned on the pocket to carry on the LPGA Tour. She also conducted a live chat on the Internet in early June to talk about her life, career and why she is working with Inspire.
With its roots in Australia and its current base of operation out of San Francisco, the former University of Southern California player found her new affiliation with Inspire to be a perfect fit. The charity's slogan, "Together we're better," made sense to her, especially as she tries to help lessen the stigma of suicide and to make sure that teens going through troubled times know they have a place to turn for help (Reachout.com). On www.inspireusafoundation.org, kids and adults can go online without pressure and download information about a variety of topics, including suicide.
"Golf and sports were my outlets as a kid when I felt down about my mom," she said. "And now, when people in pro-ams see the logo on my bag and ask what it is, sometimes it opens things up for discussion."
Rawson believes discussion, awareness and outreach are important steps in helping others. When she was faced with the tragedy of her mother's death resulting from severe depression, her family dealt with the issue in its own way. But her mother's open-ended departure left the young girl with many questions.
"My family really kind of swept it all under the table with a life-goes-on kind of attitude," she said. "But when I was 18 and graduated from high school, I was like, 'Who was my mom?' It was so hard, and I asked her friends a lot of questions about what she was like. Unfortunately, all I remember was her shutting herself in a closet in a fetal position. Even as a little girl, I knew that she was really, really in a bad place."
Years later, and now as a public sports figure, Rawson sees true value in working with the charity of Inspire. She understands a lot on a very deep and personal level. And while she says she does not yet possess the bank account to give what she would like to give, she gives with time. And a very real passion.
"It doesn't make me sad to talk about it," said Rawson. "I feel a little responsibility to help others if I can - to uplift them. And working with Inspire, I hope to help others find that light within themselves."
- Article by LPGA Staff Writer Lisa D. Mickey