By Natalie Taylor
On August 1, 2024 I interviewed Marta Sahagun de Fox at what is one of the most comprehensive rehabilitation facilities of San Miguel de Allende. CRISMA is a non-profit, civic organization under the umbrella of Vamos México, which she founded in 2001 when her husband, Vicente Fox, was president of México.
Marta Sahagún was born in the city of Zamora, in Michoacan—according to her, a state with one of the richest and most diverse cultures in the country, with 62 distinct indigenous languages. In spite of the different places where she has resided, and positions she has held, Michoacan continues to have a powerful hold on her heart. When asked what she missed most about her place of birth, she mentioned some of the unique dishes that she used to have as a child. With a smile, and a gleam in the eye, she mentioned the corunda and uchepo, both corn based. Her father was a physician, and her mother took care of the family of six children. They lived in a large house where her father also had his medical office. He was as dedicated to his patients, as he was to his family. Two signs hung in his office. The first indicated that consultations were 5 pesos, but if you could not pay, not to worry, he would still see you.
The second sign stated that, aside from emergencies, the doctor would not be available between 2:20 and 4pm. That space was reserved for the family meal at which they all sat down, with parents at each end of the table. This inculcated a strong message to their children: “Attend to the needs of others, but hold family above all else.”
She always remembers the loving care her father gave her mother, who had an ongoing illness. “He was,” she said, “a surgeon and urologist with a big heart.” In 1962 her parents founded a private hospital and nursing school, San Jose in Zamora. Her parents “made a great team,” she said, and the legacy remains with the hospital they founded. At present it is under the guidance of one of her brothers, Dr. Alberto Sahagún. Her father’s dedication to her mother, and his commitment to helping others, left a strong desire in Marta to follow his path.
Marta Sahagún had a career teaching English at the Lasallista Benavente University in Celaya. She traces the roots of her love for education to her early schooling with the Theresian nuns; of the order of St. Theresa. One of the most important values they instilled was discipline, independence, and a commitment to providing services to those in need. One great example of a combination of all three values came when she was 12. The nuns wanted each girl to commit to help others by choosing a specific social cause, and yet allowed the girls to choose how and where to do so. Marta decided to serve women in prison, and that experience left a powerful memory of inmates who, because they were women, had received harsher sentences, or were completely innocent.
These two formative impressions—her father’s service to the community, the lessons taught by the Theresian nuns, and the harshness of women’s prisons led her toward the work she continues to this day. Her foundation, Vamos México was the beginning of her commitment to serving others, a focus on education and health. They functioned under the slogan Arranque parejo a la vida—an even start to life, promising every child the possibility of an equitable beginning. This led to the eventual founding of CRISMA, which remains under the umbrella of Vamos México.
But why San Miguel? Well, that’s quite a story, she said. There was already a charitable organization here: CRESMA—Centro de crecimiento (growth center) dedicated to the rehabilitation of children with disabilities. Run by Lucha Maxwell, it was a small facility serving 20 children on Salida a Celaya. The center needed new support and approached Marta and Vicente Fox. They came, and said yes almost immediately. They took over the facility and in 2019 moved to the current location, on the road to Dr. Mora. It is an impressive rehabilitation center for children and adults.
In 2004 Marta Fox was quoted: “México is ready to be governed by a woman.” That reality arrived in México only this year, but I wondered what she thought of today’s clear possibility of a woman president in the US. How would the two countries interact having two women at the helm? “Women have a great capacity for love,” she said, “and are good negotiators.” Those qualities may lead to a world where two women holding great power could bring greater respect, joining hands for the common good, and a commitment to upholding the law.
For more information on CRISMA, please contact 479 339 9870.
Comentarii