Strong Foundation
With her children always by her side as a driving force in her life, Lina Kolychkine is the proud mother of Anthony & Michael (21) and Sarita (6). The acclaimed interior designer believes living on the island has been a true blessing for her family. “It’s a safe, family-oriented and welcoming community where kids can truly be kids,” she says. “It’s a wonderful environment where families connect, children thrive, and nature is always just a step away.” She says the best part of being a mom is supporting and nurturing her children through every stage of their lives. “We cherish the quality time we spend together creating beautiful memories,” she says. “I truly enjoy reminding them every day that with love, persistence and discipline, anything in life is possible.”
Happy Home
For Karini Gustafson Teixeira and her family, there’s nowhere else in the world like Key Biscayne. “It’s a tight-knit community with admirable family values where you mingle with friends at the playground, soccer games and school events all the time,” she says. While raising her children — Alexander & Patrick (11), Christian (9) & Mila Karini (2) — she sits on the board of several charities, is active in school committees, participates in two tennis teams, attends “almost” all of her boys’ travel soccer games, and writes children’s books. One of those books is currently becoming a TV animation for children in Scandinavia. “Motherhood is the greatest honor of my life,” she says. “It’s a daily journey filled with love, growth and the immeasurable joy of watching their incredible souls become who they’re meant to be.”
Lasting Legacy
Through the Edu Foundation, Olga Londono is on a mission to save lives by providing free swimming lessons to underprivileged children in Latin America and Miami, and sponsoring free CPR courses for parents and caregivers. “In August 2021, our family suffered an unimaginable tragedy when we lost our 15-month-old son, Eduardo (Edu),” she says. “This accident changed our lives forever and inspired us to create awareness to ensure that other families don’t endure a similar loss.” Most recently, the organization became Founding Partners of the Zero Drownings Initiative — the first large-scale drowning prevention program in Miami-Dade Public Schools. Since joining the initiative, they have provided swimming lessons to nearly 1,000 preschool and kindergarten students with the goal of reaching close to 20,000 children. “We’ve received countless heartfelt messages from parents and children expressing their gratitude for the gift of learning how to swim,” she says. “It’s enriching and motivating to know that thanks to our foundation, these children and their families are safer and won’t have to experience the tragedy we endured”; Edu-Foundation.org.
