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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2009 |
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7PM-MIDNIGHT|
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Special Guests
But Rory's greatest source of pride is her animal rights activism. Freedman, a vegan crusader, penned the Skinny Bitch series for one reason—to educate the masses about factory farms and slaughterhouses. But she smartly packaged and marketed Skinny Bitch to appeal to mainstream women, who might never otherwise learn about the horrors of the meat, egg and dairy industries. Rory set out to do nothing less than change the world, one person at a time. But because she has managed to reach millions, VegNews magazine named her their first ever "Person of the Year." Rory is also co-author of a vegan multi-media empire, including books such as Skinny Bastard, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, Skinny Bitchin', and Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven. She is also the bossy host of the Skinny Bitch Fitness: Boot Camp DVD.
Nellie is a famous musician, actress and animal advocate known for her critically acclaimed albums: Get Away From Me, Pretty Little Head, Obligatory Villagers and her role of Polly Peachum in the Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, which won her a Theatre World Award. McKay has opened for Bo Diddley and Sting, dueted with Eartha Kitt, Trey Anastasio and Taj Mahal, shared the stage with Gloria Steinem, Odetta, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, and other notable musicians. McKay is also the recipient of the Humane Society's 2005 Doris Day Music Award for her dedication to animal rights.
Giving Tree Band's latest album, Great Possessions, (called the "greenest of albums" by the Chicago Sun-Times) was recorded in the woods of rural Wisconsin where the band camped in a state park, subsisted on local organic produce, and commuted over 500 miles by bicycle to complete the solar-powered recording session. The Giving Tree Band members consider it their duty, as musical artists, to serve, educate, and inspire. Click here to listen to The Giving Tree Band.
Jenny is an outspoken vegan animal rights activist who worked as a television producer until 2002 when she went undercover in Texas to film farmed animal abuse. That experience led her to dedicate her life to helping farm animals and raising awareness of their plight. Jenny's story and the work of her sanctuary have been featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York Magazine, New York Daily News, Rolling Stone Magazine, NPR's Weekend America and more. You can read more about her and the sanctuary at woodstockfas.org
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Rory Freedman will serve as the emcee for the Chicago Celebrating Compassion Gala. Rory, a former agent for Ford Models, is a self-taught know-it-all. She is co-author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Skinny Bitch, which has two million copies in print, translations in more than twenty languages, and has spent over a year atop the New York Times Bestseller list.
Enjoy an exclusive live performance by famed musician, Nellie McKay, as she plays her hit songs at the Chicago Celebrating Compassion Gala.
Throughout the Gala enjoy the eco-folk sounds of the Giving Tree Band, as they perform live in the Rotunda before and after the awards ceremony.
Jenny Brown is the Co-Founder and Director of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary--a not-for-profit organization and farmed animal shelter located in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
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