Tim Kaufman

SPEAKING SEPTEMBER 14th, 2 pm AT ROCHESTER VEGFEST!

 

Tim Kaufman was diagnosed with  Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) in his early twenties.  He was in chronic pain most of his life. By the time he had reached the age of 37 he was addicted to fentanyl, alcohol, and fast food. At over 400 pounds he was unable to perform simple daily tasks. He had many chronic health issues and was almost immobile. He had lost his interest in life and had almost given up. Tim started a journey to regain his health. He started to change one small thing at a time. He is now an athlete that thrives on a plant-based whole food lifestyle and leads a healthy, happy, productive, and very active life that is free of all medications he was once on. His passion is to spread the message that anyone can transition to a healthy, active lifestyle and dramatically change their life regardless of their current situation or size.

Tim has appeared on podcasts from around the world and has been filmed for upcoming movies. He has been featured in Runners World Magazine, Good Morning America, Today, People, The Buffalo Newspaper, and many other media outlets.

Tim uses his platform as an international speaker to educate, inform and motivate people about plant-based nutrition, fitness, addiction recovery, overcoming physical challenges, and emotional and spiritual wellness.

Find him at “Fat Man Rants” and Fat Man Foods

Finding the Road to Health and Wellness

Tim will be sharing his journey as he lost 200 pounds and gained his health back through a whole food plant-based lifestyle and the challenges he faced during the journey.

Kevin Lahey & Ben Le Roi

We are very excited to welcome Kevin Lahey and Ben Le Roi as speakers at Rochester VegFest.  In addition to their dedicated activism, they have a podcast – check it out!  They will be speaking about the excuses people have to not go vegan, and how to get involved.  In addition, they’ll have a table for people to stop by and learn about many ways to help animals.

Audio of their talk is now available – click here!

 

The Livegan PodcastThe Livegan Podcast is dedicated to learning from inspirational guests and discussing how to be a more effective activist within the growing animal rights movement. Kevin and Ben firmly believe every individual is capable of making a significant difference with their own unique skill set. Their guests originate from various backgrounds, professions, and possess different approaches, all with the same goal in mind; how to save as many animals as possible and create a vegan world.

Kevin LaheyKevin Lahey is an ex undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals And Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth. Collectively, he has more than 3 years of undercover investigative experience, including working in Korea’s dog meat industry and USA’s hog, dairy, and poultry industries. He was the 2016 recipient of the Mercy for Animals award and is working on an upcoming book. He has a Master’s in Philosophy focused on veganism. He resides in Toronto with his wife and daughter.

Ben Le RoiBen Le Roi is an animal rights activist from Southern Ontario’s farm country. He has participated in many forms of activism from vigils, marches, disruptions, cubes and various forms of outreach. He was the creator of the Scary Movie Challenge, which gained worldwide attention, and is one of the founders of Nation Rising, an initiative designed at pressuring the Canadian government to end the subsidizing of animal agriculture. He resides in Southern Ontario with his two daughters.

Speciesism Recap

Our Dinner and a Movie event Friday night was a huge success!  Fifty-five people came out for Greek spreads and bread dip (thanks for the donation, Voula!), Buddha Bowls from Red Fern, and cupcakes from Happy Cakes, followed by a showing of Speciesism: The Movie, and then a talk by its director Mark Devries.  Thank you to everyone who attended, everyone who bid in the silent auction, and to the item donors.  Thank you to Cam F. Awesome for MC-ing and Mark Devries for bringing his film and speaking.  We were glad other VegFest speakers Mike Stura, Kerry Graff, Ted Barnett, and Jo-Anne MacArthur could attend.

Thank you to Jack & Meg for donating two tickets. Thank you to organizers and everyone who helped out or brought stuff either to use, eat, or donate: Mary, Bubbie, Deb, Kim, Darren, Mike, Leanne, Robyn, Varun, Andy, Michael, Rosemary, and Ted. People helped in so many big and little ways I can’t possibly list everything everyone did.

Dr. Joshua Keeler

Come and hear Dr. Joshua Keeler speak at Rochester VegFest!  Dr. Keeler is a chiropractor who promotes a plant-based diet for optimal health.

Dr. Joshua Keeler is a board certified Doctor of Chiropractic, who graduated with honors from the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca, NY. He has also received additional certifications in Graston Technique and Myofascial Release.

As a result of his unique ability to rapidly diagnose, treat and eliminate acute and chronic pain conditions such as plantar fasciitis, TMJ and back pain, Dr. Keeler’s many patients have described him as a “miracle worker,” and a “superhero.”

Combining hands on treatment with practical education about body mechanics and plant-based eating, Dr. Keeler has helped his patients to shed years of pain, fatigue and frustration to feel the best they have in years.

Early in his career, Dr. Keeler spent two years working at the Cardiac Catherization Lab at the University of Rochester, where he witnessed, firsthand, the devastating impact of the typical American diet on the human heart. This experience inspired him to deeply study the science behind nutrition and its role in creating chronic illness and disease.

Dr. Keeler has become a passionate educator on the benefits of a whole-food plant-based lifestyle. His expertise, contagious enthusiasm and ability to impart scientific knowledge in a down-to-earth fashion have made him increasingly in-demand as a speaker in the medical community, on college campuses and in the general public.

 

 

 

 

Harold Brown

We are so happy that Harold Brown will be speaking at VegFest!

Harold Brown, appearing in the documentary Peaceable Kingdom, The Journey Home, spent half of his life in agriculture. Growing up on a beef farm in Michigan and later working in the dairy industry, Harold has been involved in the behind-the-scenes operations of food production that uses animals.

Today Harold is an activist advocating for sustainable food production, social and environmental justice, animal liberation, and peace through non-violence.

In addition to his talk, you may also find Harold at the Animal Rights Rochester tent at other times of the festival, if you’d like to stop by and talk to him.

 

Dinner & a Movie: Speciesism and Director Mark Devries

Ticketing is now closed.

Start the VegFest celebration early with a special ticketed dinner on Friday, September 15, 2017. We’ll begin the evening in the big tent at Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 5:00 pm, when you can view and bid on all of our Silent Auction items, including a Ramon Santiago print, a beautiful handmade metalwork sign by local artist, John Greico, and gift certificates to some of Rochester’s best places! Dinner will be at 6:00, created by the talented folks at The Red Fern, and finished with dessert by Happy Cakes. At 7:00, we will screen “Speciesism: The Movie”, followed by a talk by the movie’s producer and director, Mark Devries. Tickets are very limited, and can be purchased for $40 below, with proceeds going to help defray the cost of bringing some of the vegan community’s best speakers to Rochester VegFest – and many of those speakers will be at the dinner on Friday night!

Mark Devries and a Friend

  • 5 pm Arrive and silent auction
  • 6 pm Red Fern restaurant’s Buddha Bowl & Happy Cakes dessert
  • 7 pm Speciesism, the Movie
  • the director Mark Devries will give a talk afterwards

 

  • When: Friday, September 15, 2017
  • Where: the big tent on the lawn of Martin Luther King Jr. Park
  • Tickets: $40, purchase below

Buddah Bowl-Red FernBuddha Bowl is gluten free and vegan.  – organic marinated tofu, coconut brown rice, sautéd kale, roasted beets, pickled carrots & cabbage, sesame seeds, ginger garlic tamari sauce.

Happy Cakes

 

 

 

 

Happy Cakes Cupcake