Vick
Founder + Executive Director
Vick has been vegan for over 14 years, and before launching CFY+M was an educator for over 11 years. Both pieces are a large part of her life, so she decided to merge the two together to create a compassionate organization in Chicago. She firmly believes all living beings, big or small, deserve to be loved and respected. She loves spending time traveling to new places to try their local vegan spots, cuddling her rescue dog, Avocado Bob, listening to Taylor Swift, and visiting/volunteering at animal sanctuaries.
Rachel
President + Compassionate Volunteer
Rachel has been following a vegan lifestyle since 2006, and has been more active recently in the animal rights community. She enjoys expanding her knowledge of cruelty free and vegan beauty products, as well as the best vegan comfort food recipes. Rachel’s interests lie decidedly in animal welfare and music. You can find the intersection of these in her project called Still + Storm. Rachel’s deepest held belief is that it is our responsibility to respect and protect ALL animals.
Michael
Vice President + Community Coordinator
Michael has always cared about animals and their well being. All of the pets he has ever taken care of have been rescues or shelter adoptions. He has a passion for protecting our planet and a strong desire to stand up to social injustice. Within the last few months, he transitioned to a vegan diet. In the last year and a half he has put his love for animals, concern for the environment, and desire to stand up for social justice into action. From protesting against factory farming with Mercy For Animals, to speaking up in support of Black Lives Matter.. He really loves CFY+M’s mission of compassion to both animals and humans alike.
Dane
Treasurer + Compassionate Volunteer
While new to a vegan lifestyle (since early 2020), he has jumped in head first and is enjoying all of the benefits it provides (it’s an easy transition when you’re eating with CFY+M’s fearless leader). He is a CPA who has worked on audits of many nonprofit organizations throughout the Chicagoland area. You have likely seen him on site of many of CFY+M’s many events/food drives (as the one playing with the dog).
Eleanor
Secretary + Community Coordinator
Eleanor has been following a vegan lifestyle since January 2018, after growing up kosher and moving through vegetarianism as well. She’s a public sector management consultant for state and local clients across North America. In her free time she loves yoga, reading, working out, learning new musical instruments, and making soy-based candles.
Avocado Bob
Spokesdog + Ambassador of Human-Canine Relations
Avocado Bob is rescue pup of Vick + Dane. When he is not brokering peace accords and vouching the gospel of veganism, you can find him chilling out eating treats and cuddling up on the bed watching TV. Some of his biggest influences include Toto, McGruff, Scrappy Doo, and the Bloodhound Gang (only the deep cuts). He lives by his mantra that if you are mean to animals, he will ruff you up!
Julia
Children’s Program Coordinator
Julia’s commitment to the vegan lifestyle in 2016 stemmed from her aspirations to alleviate climate crisis consequences. Her passions include advocating for climate justice, communicating through music and arts, and learning how to cook cuisines from all cultures. In her free time, you can find Julia planning her next hike, studying the latest climate reports, taking language classes, painting, practicing viola, or finding creative ways to reuse and recycle. As an active community member, Julia is thrilled to be a part of CFY+M and its friends promoting compassion and sustainability for all species on this planet.
Donna
Compassionate Educator
Donna taught Pre-K (4-5yr olds) for 20 yrs and since 2007 has been vegan. 2005 – fully vegetarian after the prior few years mainly vegetarian. After so much information about factory farming came out to the public, that in 2007 she became fully vegan. After much research, realized she has a dairy & egg allergy which proved to her that we should not be consuming animal products in any form. She moved to Chicago in 2019 and works for a Chiropractor helping patients with physical therapy.
Living in the city has opened her up to the enormous variety of vegan foods! She has always wanted to do more volunteering and then found out about CFY&M! Now here she is enjoying Sunday Story Times and petting pigs on occasion!
Paty
Community Coordinator
New to the CFY+M team and vegan lifestyle, Paty transitioned from vegetarianism to vegan when it became clear that being compassionate begins with valuing all animal lives. A social worker by day, she attempts to instill dignity and social justice in all aspects of her life and values the opportunity to make plant-based options accessible to all. Hobbies include spending time with her dog, Peewee and cat, Olive; transforming traditional Mexican recipes with vegan ingredients, reading, and exploring Chicago.
Sara
Compassionate Volunteer + Marketing Support
Sara went vegetarian when she was just 12 years old (friends not food!) and has been vegan since 2013. As a digital marketer and designer, she recently launched her own creative studio helping to grow vegan brands – and gave our CFY+M Instagram profile and branding a fresh new look! You’ll usually find this Cali beach girl playing in the sun, having a beer at a vegan pop-up event, teaching a virtual cooking class or posting whole food plant based recipes on her Instagram.
Laura
Compassionate Volunteer
Laura is a recent addition to the CFY+M team and has been vegan since 2015. Prior to that she was vegetarian for about 4 years, transitioning to a vegan lifestyle after learning more about the dairy and egg industry and realizing she was still supporting industries that did not align with her values. One of Laura’s favorite places on earth is Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York where she happily gives out belly rubs to any animal friends looking for some love and attention.
Michael
Compassionate Volunteer
Mike has been vegan since 2015. His biggest motivation was learning more about the link between animal agriculture and the environment. In his free time he likes to make music, paint, cook, and enjoy nature. He believes in incorporating compassion and mindfulness into all areas of life, not just the dinner table.
Madeline
Cruelty Free Beauty Expert – Patreon
Madeline is a new volunteer with Cruelty Free You + Me and has been vegetarian/vegan for 18 years. As a huge animal lover, she is a hospice foster for animals that are terminally ill or have medical conditions. For her being able to provide love and a home to these animals that are often overlooked is the most rewarding experience. She loves to bake and try new vegan recipes to share with neighbors and friends. Madeline has also been a makeup artist for the last 8 years and advocates on her own time for Illinois and other states to become strictly a cruelty free cosmetic industry.
Chaza
Compassionate Educator
Chaza has been vegan since Jan 2016. She started out for health reasons but quickly saw the added benefits for the environment and of course, the animals. She attributes her pug dog, Archie for helping her make that connection and solidifying her decision to be an ethical vegan. She is passionate about our planet and our impact as humans. Reducing her consumption and overall waste has been her main focus lately and becoming more zero waste. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, exercising, learning about heath and wellness and exploring all the great vegan places in Chicago.
Sneha
Compassionate Educator
Sneha grew up in a vegetarian household and fully transitioned herself (and her family) to a vegan lifestyle in 2017. She was studying to become a yoga instructor when she fell in love with the concept of “ahimsa”, which refers to non-violence. She then vowed to maintain a vegan lifestyle, as that is what would allow her to live in her greatest state of non-violence. Sneha has never had any pets, and if we’re being honest, she is more of an “indoor” girl, but this has never stopped her from treating her fellow animal earthmates and her environment with respect. She is so grateful to be a part of the CFY+M community and be able to not only continue to spread a compassionate message, but also connect with so many other passionate people!