Center for Enriched Living transforms Chefs' Night into live virtual event
The Center for Enriched Living (CEL), which provides life-changing opportunities for Chicago-area residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), is transforming its popular Chefs' Night fundraiser into a virtual event that will be livestreamed directly to supporters from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 29. Chefs' Night is CEL's biggest fundraiser and normally attracts hundreds of supporters each spring. It will look different this year due to the need for social distancing, but it will still include inspiration from CEL members and their families and live demonstrations from favorite chefs and mixologists.
"Virtual Chefs' Night is free to attend, but contributions will help us continue to provide social and recreational enrichment programs, as well as employment opportunities, for people who depend on CEL to expand their world," says Harriet Levy, CEO of CEL. "We know that our supporters love gathering together at Chefs' Night - and that will return - but for now, we hope everyone will tune into the live virtual event and provide the support we desperately need at this time."
CEL is currently facing a $250,000 funding gap, but the organization remains committed to moving its programs online while its Riverwoods facility is closed, and temporarily offering them for free to everyone, not just members. CEL's virtual programs include art classes, dance parties, yoga, book club, Coffee Talk and virtual adventures around the world. "We will keep finding a way to provide social connections, friendship, learning and growth for people with IDD, even though we can't be together in person right now," Levy says.
To attend Virtual Chefs' Night and make an optional donation, register at https://www.centerforenrichedliving.org/events/chefs-night/. Then have drinks from the comfort of the couch, learn new recipes and hear heartwarming stories. Attendees are asked to register by June 26. A YouTube link will then be sent. Virtual Chefs' Night will feature:
• The winner of a Lexus car raffle will be chosen live during the event. Tickets are still available for a chance to win the 2020 Lexus UX250H Hybrid, or $30,000 cash. Only 1,299 tickets will be sold. The ticket price is one for $100 or three for $275.
• Chicago sportscaster and podcast host Peggy Kusinski will emcee the event, along with Levy.
• Chef and mixologist demos will air all evening, including a cocktail from Koval Distillery; an appetizer from Deerfield-Bannockburn firefighters, longtime CEL partners and Chefs' Night participants; and a pasta dish from Chef Tim of Barilla, who will cook live in the CEL kitchen, along with Levy and Kusinski.
• CEL members and families will talk about the organization's life-changing programs. The main speakers will be member Rachel and her mom, Amy, who will discuss free programs that CEL has offered during the Shelter in Place order and how they have been a lifeline during a lonely and sometimes scary time.
The Center for Enriched Living (CEL), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018, provides programs that focus on social, recreational, employment and educational opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, giving them the opportunity to be fully included in the community, achieve personal fulfillment and enjoy a good quality of life. CEL is an independent 501(c)3 agency operating out of a state-of-the-art facility in Riverwoods, which opened in 2000 and was renovated with Universal Design in 2016, making it a more welcoming space for all. CEL serves hundreds of people from at least 50 Chicago-area communities each year. To learn more, visit www.CenterforEnrichedLiving.org.