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Chefs' Night virtual fundraiser benefits people with disabilities

Posted June 26, 2020 1:00 am

Submitted by The Center for Enriched Living

The Center for Enriched Living offers activities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to help ease the isolation they can feel. The activities include yoga, seen here, as well as art classes, dance parties and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the programs were offered online to all people with disabilities and not just CEL members. Courtesy of The Center for Enriched Living

• Organization name: The Center for Enriched Living

• Address: 280 Saunders Road, Riverwoods

• Phone: 847.948.7001

• Web address: CenterforEnrichedLiving.org

• Mission: The Center for Enriched Living exists so that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be fully included in the community, achieve personal success and enjoy a good quality of life.

• Number of employees: 62

An interview with Harriet Levy, CEO of the Center for Enriched Living. The organization is hosting Chef's Night 2020, a virtual fundraiser, on Monday.

Q. What is the Center for Enriched Living, and what does it do? Give a brief overview of what the organization does and who you serve.

A. The Center for Enriched Living (CEL) addresses the isolation that many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face. CEL is a leader in providing social, recreational and educational enrichment programs. The organization also works with local businesses to find employment opportunities and help reduce the 85 percent unemployment rate among adults with developmental disabilities. Our mission is three words: "include, achieve and enjoy" for people with IDD.

Q. Where do the majority of your donations come from?

A. CEL is privately funded and an independent 501(c) 3 agency. Donations come from individuals, businesses, corporations, villages and townships, grants and foundations.

Q. How many people per year do you serve?

A. CEL serves approximately 500 teens to seniors a year from at least 50 Chicago-area communities.

Q. What are some of your programs?

A. Most programs are normally offered at CEL's Universal Design facility in suburban Riverwoods. During social distancing, CEL moved its programs online and has been offering them for FREE to ALL people with developmental disabilities, not just members. Seven days a week, virtual programs include art classes, dance parties, yoga, Spanish, Healthy Living, book club, Coffee Talk, employment coaching and skill building, virtual adventures around the world and much more.

Q. Tell us about the Chefs' Night Fundraiser. How does it work?

A. CEL has transformed its Chefs' Night fundraiser into a virtual event that will be livestreamed directly to our community of friends and supporters, 7-8 p.m. on Monday, June 29. The evening will include inspiration from CEL members and their families, and live demonstrations from favorite chefs and mixologists. There will also be entertainment, and the winner of a Lexus car raffle will be chosen live at the end of the event.

Q. How can people participate?

A. Register to attend Virtual Chefs' Night at www.CenterforEnrichedLiving.org. The event is free to attend; donations are encouraged. After registering, attendees will receive an email with instructions detailing how to watch the event.

Q. How can readers help if they can't participate in the event?

A. CEL needs to close its funding gap in order to continue providing free virtual opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. CEL's website outlines the many opportunities for giving, including making a donation, becoming a monthly donor or holding your own online CEL fundraiser.

Q. What else should readers to know about the organization?

A. There are not enough resources and services in place to help people with developmental disabilities have a voice and access to services and opportunities. CEL provides life-changing opportunities such as continued learning and growth after school ends, social and community enrichment, and community-based employment for all who want to work. CEL also works for change and spreads awareness to remove the many barriers that prevent people with IDD from living a full and rich life. CEL's services are particularly important and needed in the state of Illinois, which ranks 48th in support of people with developmental disabilities.

Q. How can readers get more information?

A. Visit www.CenterforEnrichedLiving.org and follow CEL on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@CELfriends).

• If you know of a nonprofit organization that should be featured here, please email glenbrooknews@dailyherald.com and include "nonprofit news" in the subject line.

The Riverwoods-based Center for Enriched Living serves about 500 teens to seniors with intellectual and developmental disabilities each year, from about 50 suburban communities. "Our mission is three words: Include, achieve and enjoy," says CEO Harriet Levy Courtesy of The Center for Enriched Living

The Center for Enriched Living's Chefs' Night Fundraiser, set for Monday, June 30, aims to help close the organization's funding gap os it can continue to offer a variety of activities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in the suburbs. Courtesy of The Center for Enriched Living

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