Gena Lee Nolin MAKES A WISH
“It’s not about the car you drive or what you have materially. It’s family, healthy children and it is to be cherished.”
BY RUSSELL DANDRIDGE M
ost people will remember Gena Lee Nolin from the popular television series
“Baywatch,” but these days Gena Lee Nolin is much happier talking about philanthropy. A mother and wife, Nolin has three children and works diligently with, among other organizations, the Make A Wish Foundation. “I’ve worked with a couple of
groups for awhile. I want to give as much to as many [groups] that move me,” she explains. “I was named honorary woman of distinction 2007 for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and I have recently become involved with Save the Children’s Make Time for Change. Jennifer Garner is on that board.” Lending her image in the past to various PETA media campaigns, Nolin said she has also recently considered getting involved with the American Heart Association as well. Nolin got involved with the Make
a Wish foundation back when she was still on “Baywatch,” saying that there are many highlights of working with the foundation, including “Seeing the kids light up when you help, whether it be your time,
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reading a book in the hospital or listening to them and their dreams.” One of her most moving
experiences with The Make A Wish Foundation came while she was still working on “Baywatch.” She remembers, “There was a terminally ill boy who came to the set. He wanted to meet the cast and was [so happy] just hanging out chatting. I remember how strong and brave his family was, I could see the pain in his mother’s face and that killed me. I’ll never forget how simple his wish was and how it was something I took for granted daily.” While there are a few things that
Nolin says she would change in her life right now, time management issues and multi-tasking to name two, overall she’s happy; after all, she does believe she is living her dream. “Somewhere deep inside I knew
I had to be an actress,” she says. “I was going to school at SMC to study interior design, I modeled a bit and ended up landing one show after the next. I was lucky to have been able to work so consistently. I knew I had to be on stage. I always felt like there was something bigger and better for me. If not that, I would be a hair
stylist for sure. I almost enrolled at Vidal Sassoon hair academy in Santa Monica.” On a personal level, Nolin admits
to being a “total paper geek.” In fact, the Duluth, Minnesota native secretly reveals that among her hobbies she has started an invitation company called Paper Couture. She also believes that her upbringing made her the humble, grounded person she is today. “I think I see things differently,”
she adds and these days she is seeing much of her life differently with her children involved. She prefers to donate most of her time to family, as motherhood, she says, has given her everything she ever wanted. “Family comes first,” she
concludes, adding “I’m also working on a book about postpartum depression and I have a couple mommy style shows in the works, but in so many ways working with these foundations has changed my life. You really become aware of your own life, what really matters and it’s not about the car you drive or what you have materially. It’s family, healthy children and it is to be cherished.”
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