Finally Having the Time to Help

What would make someone give up a lucrative paycheck, the thrill of successfully-negotiated multimillion-dollar agreements with Fortune 500 companies, and hob-nobbing with Wall Street banking executives? After three decades in the hi-tech industry, long-time Garnet Valley resident, Rima Vanhill-Seal, gave all of that up. Working in an in-house legal and business capacity
for more than 30 years, the grueling days, holidays spent in hotel rooms, and the working weekends had lost their appeal.

When asked if there was a defining moment for her, she said, “It was in the Red Rocks of Sedona a couple of years ago. I had spent the entire first day and night of vacation negotiating quarter-end deals with China, Australia and India. Surrounded by nine of my dearest friends, looking over the magnificent red rocks, I made a decision – I knew I wanted to continue to feel driven in my career, but it was time to do something that I felt passionately about.”

Rima has been interested in all things décor, beauty, and makeup for as long as she can remember. Not surprisingly, her passion for skin care and anti-aging increased as she approached the big 50. In January

2017, she took a leap of faith and enrolled in a local aesthetician program. “Experiencing how to learn again at age 50+ was challenging, to say the least. Humbling at times, it was an exhilarating feeling to learn a new skill and experience my progress. To be able to relive the camaraderie of being back in high school, this time with the mindset and wisdom of a mature woman, was a unique and wonderful experience I never expected,” she explained.

When asked about school, Vanhill-Seal said that she realized that her dislike for the sciences in her teens had now morphed into a new love for chemistry. “I found I actually enjoyed biology, anatomy, and histology. How the body, and especially the skin, heals itself is fascinating. The fact that memorizing the bones of the body took me one-week vs one-night is
beside the point,” she laughs.

Since launching the BrightenBar in October, Rima, together with her business partner, Dr. Laurene, have already donated over $15,000 in services to raise awareness and money for charities such as the Home of the Sparrow, Cuddle me Kids, Rescue Dogs Rock, and Delaware Children’s Charity. Rima has designated Hope Lodge, which offers cancer patients and their caregivers
a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city, to be the current recipient of 100% of her tips. “In the last five years,” Rima reflects, “I lost my young niece, my mother and my aunt to cancer; my best friend and a very close aunt are now battling the disease and I have at least three clients who have undergone double mastectomies.”

“I am humbled by the opportunity to give back and help those who are fighting for their health. I will continue to look for charities like the Hope Lodge, where very little of the money is used for salaries and admin fees and almost all of it goes to those that need the help.”

To date, Rima has also donated over 100 facials to these causes. “Unlike in the past where I could give money, but my demanding job made it impossible for me to give of my time, now, giving of my time means I get to really ‘feel’ (literally) that I’m doing something special – it feels good for my soul.”

Since moving to Garnet Valley in 1996, Rima and her husband, Ron Seal, have been actively involved in the local community. For many years, Ron coached CYO basketball and Rima has been an active member of the Brandywine Edition, a group of local ladies who organize fundraising events to support local families in need.