RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 16, 2016
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners recognizing Karyn Calabrese for 40 years of service dedicated to inspiring and educating the community, locally and internationally, on health and wellness
Body
WHEREAS, Karyn Calabrese, Pioneer of the raw food movement, is a successful entrepreneur and popular holistic health expert based in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, in the early 1980’s Calabrese began hosting a vegan potluck at her house in Evanston the third Sunday of every month. There she lectured about food and alternative healing methods. She called it Learn to Live International. The group grew from six people to 90. It was the beginning of her business; and
WHEREAS, at 69 years old, Karyn looks nearly a generation younger without the help of surgery or Botox. For the past 40 years, Karyn has been committed to taking care of her body and helping others to do the same. In addition to a raw diet, she believes in regular detoxification and has developed a program that she teaches to hundreds of people each year; and
WHEREAS, Karyn’s Detox cleanse program has helped thousands of individuals with health challenges reclaim their health; and
WHEREAS, Karyn’s exists to rejuvenate the way people approach achieving and maintaining timeless health, well-being and clarity, by celebrating the purity of nature’s original design-- in food and the human mind and body; and
WHEREAS, many notable figures come to seek her advice and dine when they come to town such as, Minister Michael Bernard Beckwith, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, music producer Jermaine Dupri, Common, Kelsey Grammar, Emma Thompson, Will Farrell, John Salley and Boy George among others; and
WHEREAS, her first restaurant, Karyn's Raw Bistro, is the longest-standing gourmet raw food restaurant in the United States; and
WHEREAS, she is the first person ever featured on the cover of Dining Out Chicago Food magazine; and
WHEREAS, she is one of the first people to grow and juice wheatgrass in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Karyn Calabrese was awarded the First Annual Raw and Living Foods Golden Branch Award in 2002 for introducing the idea of raw and living foods to the greatest number of people in the mainstream public; and
WHEREAS, Karyn was Awarded the life time achievement award in 2015 at the Pure Living Expo in Sedona, Arizona; and
WHEREAS, Karyn was the 2013 winner of the Harper's Bazaar Fabulous at Every Age competition for the 60+ age category; and
WHEREAS, Karyn was a featured regular on Chicagoing with Bill Campbell, Director of Community Services; and
WHEREAS, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, WCIU - The U, The Today Show, ABC, Fox Chicago, CBS, Windy City Live, The Steve Harvey Show, WGN, and has been featured in numerous articles in the Chicago Tribune, Eater Chicago Sun-Times as well as numerous national commercials, print and ads; and
WHEREAS, The Karyn’s brand also includes an intimate, yet sweeping, day spa (Karyn’s Inner Beauty Center and O2 Day Spa), an extensive learning center (headlined by a 28-day cleanse program), a cookbook, an uncook book and all-natural retail lines spanning wellness supplements, skin care and raw cuisine; and
WHEREAS, No matter your stage on life’s journey, no matter what drives you or what you seek, Karyn’s lives as a resource to guide, inspire and reawaken the most wholesome, empowered, best possible you; and
WHEREAS, Karyn’s pioneering journey has inspired many others to launch their entrepreneurial businesses related to the health and wellness movement; and
WHEREAS, Karyn herself questions at the end of every day: “If you don’t take care of this [your body], the most magnificent machine you’ll ever be given, where are you going to live?” and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby recognize Karyn Calabrese for 40 years of service dedicated to inspiring and educating the community, locally and internationally, on health and wellness; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Karyn Calabrese.
Dated: June 16, 2016
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; MICHAEL A. ALVAREZ; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; CYNTHIA M. SANTOS; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel