Local Spotlight: One hundred meals in Pasadena

with Karen Voelkening-Behegan

Can you imagine hosting a potluck every month for eight years, without missing a single one? We can’t, either! This is no small feat! But this is exactly what Karen Voelkening-Behegan has done! Karen is a woman on a mission to change her community one meal at a time.

There are countless Weston A. Price Foundation chapters across the U.S. and around the globe. And, today, we shine a spotlight on Karen and the Pasadena chapter that she founded in 2008. Karen is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Restorative Wellness Practitioner, and the mother of two. Today, she reveals her secrets for building community and reaching the jaw-dropping milestone of 100 consecutive chapter gatherings in a row! She shares her ups and downs along the way, what kept her going, and the joys of building a wonderful, sustainable community of like-minded people.

Karen highlights the surprising benefits of local chapter meetings, that go beyond simply gathering around delicious, nutrient-dense meals. The gatherings encourage a spirit of learning about healthy eating and the Wise Traditions diet. They are a place for exchanging ideas, and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. By the end of the conversation, you just may be inspired to start a Weston A. Price Foundation chapter yourself or at least to join one near you!

Notes:

Highlights from the conversation include:

celebrating 100 consecutive meetings in Pasadena chapter
what it means to be a chapter leader and the purpose of a local chapter
how an ethnic dish can help us learn about other cultures
how community encourages sharing of ideas and encourages entrepreneurship
how Karen got started – from her personal health story, research, to the breaking point
building a team to keep the meetings going in a sustainable way
tips on how to get started – keep it simple
the results of keeping regular chapter meetings – teaching and learning journey
amazing real-life stories of people healing themselves through wise traditions food
topic ideas to keep meetings interesting and the nitty-gritty of the meeting structure
how to bring people in and grow the community – we are all a wealth of resources
why it is important to find the time to do nothing in this busy world