FARE Spring Luncheon

Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) is an organization that works to improve the quality of life for those afflicted with food allergies. Every year, the organization raises money through an awareness walk, and last year the walk raised about $3 million. They also push to provide life-saving allergy devices in schools to make relief easier and less expensive for students with allergies.

She Beads has been working with FARE for over six years, and we have even produced several custom clay designs for the organization. The designs show the top nine allergens that affect kids everyday. She Beads loves to help out with such a positive organization geared towards helping those with allergies, as well as their families.

At the luncheon, the Keynote speaker Carla Hall elaborated on her philosophy to always "cook with love" that is present in all her cooking, as well as her past participation in popular cooking shows like Top Chef. Carla strongly believes that food and cooking are reflections of a person's mood, "If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation." Carla is currently a co-host on a daytime lifestyle show called The Chew. Her colleagues on the show are a range of people including famous restaurant owners, health and wellness experts, and an entertainment specialist. Her accomplishments do not stop there as she is a successful author of cooking books that focus on worldwide cuisine and comfort foods.

She Beads and Carla Hall have definite similarities. For instance, Carla is interested in having personality shine through in her cooking and philosophies she shares, and so is She Beads. We are a company dedicated to making the best product we can for our customers, and letting individuality shine through is just one of the benefits that come from handmade products. Our love of what we do defintiely shines through in the quality of our product, a thought that aligns perfectly with Carla's philosophy to "cook with love".

'That Bites' was a documentary featured at the luncheon, and was created by 13-year-old Jack Yonover of Wilmette. He talked of how at first, he underestimated the impact an allergy would have on his life, but also how he became stronger in spite of having a severe allergy. See this link for an article from the Chicago Tribune which expands on his fight to bring awareness of allergies to light.

Not too informed about food allergies? Here are some need-to-know facts!

• One in thirteen children have a food allergy which translates to almost two in every classroom
• Almost 40% of children with food allergies have already experienced a life threatening reaction
• Every three minutes, a child is sent to the emergency room as a result of a severe reaction
• U.S. families pay roughly $25 billion every year to care for a child with a severe allergy

How to get involved with FARE:

• The FARE Walk for Food Allergy will be held on October 4th in Chicago's Lincoln Park! Make a team with family, friends, or even coworkers and sign up!
• Join the FARE Advocacy Network to make your voice heard about allergies and how to either cope with having one or supporting someone who does (foodallergyadvocacy.org)
• FARE offers amazing personalized campaigns and fundraisers for several events