This semester, Pooja Rathor, VO’s India Outreach Coordinator (below, left), has handed out 15,827 booklets at 23 different schools, and Shweta Sood (below, right) has traveled to 24 different campuses, handing out 9,067 booklets!

Below are Shweta at Aryabhatta College (left) and Pooja at Motilal Nehru College (right); these schools are part of the University of Delhi South Campus, where Shweta and Pooja teamed with fellow activists on January 19 and reached more than 2,800 students!

On February 24, Pooja got booklets into the hands of more than 700 high school students (four below) at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Sector 10 Dwarka:

The response was great. Kids were approaching to take leaflets by themselves. They had doubts that cows’ milk is not a healthy option; I tried to answer all of their queries. A few kids also shared their stories about the animals they love.

On April 11, Pooja handed out over 1,200 booklets at Sri Aurobindo College:

The guards were super helpful and genuine. At times they stopped the students who missed the leaflet.

I met Kavinder, who came back from the metro station after reading the leaflet and said, “I liked the content—I would like to volunteer.”

A guy named Prince said, “I never knew that animals had to stay in such pathetic conditions.… I won’t be able to eat chicken anymore.”

While leafleting metro stations in Delhi, Pooja met Priya Chauhan (below, far left), who helped leaflet on the spot and would like to volunteer in the future, and Gyalpo (below, right), a vegetarian student who was happy to get some booklets to give to his meat-eating friends.

Support Vegan Outreach’s work by taking part in our Team Vegan matching challenge: Through June 30, all donations up to $200,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar, doubling your impact for the animals!

This semester, Rachel Shippee has handed out 7,974 booklets at 15 different schools, and John Deetjen has traveled to 36 different campuses, handing out 5,480 booklets!

Above are John and Rachel after handing out 960 booklets at Northern Illinois University on April 11, which marked an Adopt a College milestone for Rachel:

We had a tough time with the wind and cold, so we tried leafleting inside the student union; it wasn’t very busy there but it’s a good option during extreme weather. They have tables set up too, which worked perfect for us.

Students here are always really nice and interested in the information.

Despite the weather, I was thrilled to hit my goal of 200K leaflets handed out! Hopefully many more to come.

On April 9, Rachel, John, and fellow activist Kevin Cooney (above) leafleted Wizard World Comic Con in Madison, WI:

Kevin, Rachel and I had a great day of activism in Madison! We reached 894 people with Vegan Outreach booklets at Comic Con and drew this for the #veganchalkchallenge!

Rachel, John, and Kevin traveled to Canada in January and joined John Sakars, Alex Greenwood, Anita Krajnc, and other activists at a Toronto Pig Save vigil outside a slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario (above). John reports:

During the time that we were there, we saw four full transport trucks with pigs. Talk about a moving and activism-motivational experience!

I leafleted cars that were stopped at the stoplight…people seemed very receptive and curious to learn why we were out there!

On February 17, John teamed with Thomas Goodman and first-time leafleter Amanda McCrary at the University of Wisconsin (above):

Huge day of veganizing Milwaukee! This crew reached 2,377 people with Vegan Outreach leaflets at UW Milwaukee and an additional 262 students at Riverside University High School! One student told us that getting a VO booklet is what made her and her family go vegan!

You can help more students and their families go vegan by taking part in VO’s Team Vegan campaign! Register for your own fundraising page and post a profile pic by May 20, and a generous donor will seed your campaign with $100! You can also help Rachel and other team members reach their fundraising goals, or make a donation to the general fund. All contributions up to $200,000 will be matched, inspiring twice as many people to go vegan and sparing twice as many animals from suffering!

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

Terry Hagio is one of the activists making Team Vegan a success this year. Through her Team Vegan page, Terry was raising funds for outreach on Day One!  She’s raised over $100 so far, and she hopes to bring in $1,000 by June 30—to be matched dollar-for-dollar to make a huge impact on what work Vegan Outreach can do this fall. I asked Terry if I could highlight her campaign—and her work for animals—and she graciously agreed. Thank you, Terry!

How and why did you become involved in animal issues?

I went vegetarian in 1996 when I realized the food on my plate used to be alive. I went vegan in 2011 after learning about the horrors of the egg and dairy industries from my sister. Once I went vegan, I knew I had to do more and use my voice to help the voiceless by volunteering with organizations like Vegan Outreach, Mercy for Animals, and The Humane League.

What drew you to participate in Team Vegan?

I did my first race in 2011 and that was my first experience with running and fundraising. I have done some sort of “fundracing” every year since and love supporting amazing organizations that align with my beliefs, like Vegan Outreach.

Many Team Vegan members choose to complete a physical or other challenge to accompany their fundraising goal. What is your Team Vegan activity and how did you decide on it?

I have a new goal of running a half marathon in every state, so I picked the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in San Diego. I also have a bucket list item of completing a triathlon, so I signed up for the Chicago Triathlon with some friends in Chicago! I love finding new races in new places with friends! My last race of the year will be the running leg of a half Ironman relay in Austin!

Thank you, Terry, and best of luck on your half marathon and other runs!

If you’d like to show support for Terry and Vegan Outreach, donate to her Team Vegan page today! Every donation is doubled! Thank you!

Have you heard the news?

Vegan: Everyday Stories—a new feature length documentary—is about to hit the big screens!

The movie explores the lives of four remarkably different people who share a common thread—they’re all vegan.

The stars of the film range from a cattle rancher’s wife to an eight year old, outspoken animal activist. Check it out to see their touching stories!

Here is the current schedule, but be sure to check out the website where you can also see the trailer.

June 4 • Sedona, AZ
June 12 • Portland, OR
June 17 • Los Angeles, CA
June 24 • Kansas City, MO
June 26 • Bournemouth, United Kingdom
August 20 • Santa Rosa, CA
October 2 • Morristown, NJ
October 22 & 23 • Portland, OR

Vegan Outreach is a proud sponsor of this year’s Vegan Soul Sunday!

Please note that this event will no longer be held on June 5, 2016. The new date and location will be announced soon!

Vegan Soul Sunday will include cooking demonstrations, music, and health screenings. Presentations will be given by David Carter (The 300 Pound Vegan), Ayinde Howell (executive chef and founder of ieatgrass.com), and Seba Johnson (Olympic athlete).

Registration is free.

If you live in or near Oakland, we hope to see you there!

This semester, Karen James (below, left) has handed out 11,939 booklets at 18 different schools, and Lana Smithson, VO’s New England Outreach Coordinator (below, right), has handed out 11,076 booklets at 29 different campuses!

On April 21, Karen and volunteer Marion reached more than 700 students at SUNY Purchase College:

Marion is the woman who gave me the name/contact info of her sister, the vegan chef at Wesleyan University! She came out to help for an hour today.

Moss is a vegetarian who said she does not eat any animal products off-campus, but eats cheeses once in a while in the cafe at school because they do not have vegan cheeses. We talked about starting a petition on campus to get non-dairy items into their vegetarian cafe.

Devon [below] gave his Your Choice to someone else, but came back to me for another one, and got a Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating, too. He is looking to eat much healthier!

On April 27, Lana and volunteers handed out over 1,000 booklets at the University of Maine in Orono:

I was joined by two wonderful student activists (Audrey Hoyle and Tyler Cote) who started the school’s official veg group called Vegan Education and Empowerment. This is the group’s second semester, and it has been active doing outreach to students and convincing the dining services to add more veg options.

Last week for Earth Day, they tabled on campus and worked with VegFund to be able to give out 350 free food samples; and they got new students to sign up for their group. They were happy to have VO pamphlets to give out and specifically thanked Vegan Outreach in their Facebook post about the event. I’ve attached a photo of Tyler leafleting today [below]. He is vice president of their group.

Also on April 27, Karen teamed with Carl Santoro (below), and together they handed out 1,700 Your Choice booklets at Nassau Community College:

Nassau was rocking today with very polite students, and a fun loving Carl, who I leafleted with for the first time. Thanks Jennifer Greene for putting out the word with your Long Island meetup group! Carl was with me for two hours, and we were on fire! He had a few talks with students, and we met about six vegetarians and five vegans. Carl spoke with a guy who had been vegan, said it was difficult, but was now inspired to try again!

Jasmine is vegan. She stopped to thank us for being there. We spoke about getting a petition together for better food in the cafeteria, and she is going to do it. While we spoke, another vegan girl stopped; Jasmine gave her a business card so they could contact each other, and she gave me one as well.

Thank you, Karen, for stepping in at the last minute for a month of leafleting when VO needed you!

Support VO’s Adopt a College leafleting program by taking part in our Team Vegan campaign: Register for your own fundraising page, help Lana or one of the many other team members reach their goals, or make a donation to the general fund!

Are you interested in taking part in a health survey about hormones, sex, and aging?

When the drug sildenafil citrate (trade name Viagra®) was introduced in 1998, it was an immediate huge seller, underscoring how prevalent and important erectile dysfunction (ED) had become. Although Viagra and other similarly acting medications remain widely prescribed, there are side effects and the potential for adverse interactions with other medications. Consequently, some men may not be able to take these medications while others may prefer not to or may be unable to afford them. For these individuals, effective lifestyle modifications would be an attractive option for addressing ED.

As men age, changes occur that affect both circulation and testosterone levels, which, in turn, affect male sexual functioning. Atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques in blood vessels, which can impede circulation throughout the body, is the most common cause of erectile dysfunction. Diet and lifestyle factors are undoubtedly linked to circulation, which may explain why some men can maintain healthy sexual functioning well into old age. At the same time, testosterone is known to decrease with age, such that on average the mean levels in men over 60 are on the low end of normal. Just as they affect the circulatory system, diet, lifestyle factors, and overall health have been correlated with testosterone levels and sexual functioning. For example, obesity is linked to low testosterone.

Similarly, many women report symptoms of menopause that are highly problematic, such as hot flashes, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, and weight gain. In these cases, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is considered the treatment of choice; however, a large number of women forego this option as taking these medications puts them at increased risk for breast cancer, blood clots, heart disease, and stroke, as well as side effects such as headaches, bloating, nausea, vaginal bleeding, and mood changes. Both diet and lifestyle factors may affect how women experience menopausal symptoms. For example, sources of phytoestrogens (e.g., soy), which are thought to substitute for declining estrogen levels, have been investigated as a dietary intervention for menopause with mixed results.

Although there is evidence that diet and lifestyle factors are associated with hormonal and sexual health as people age, there are still many open questions, especially regarding how people following diverse diets age, and how lifestyle factors and overall health interact with diet.

We are currently recruiting a diverse sample of participants, representing a variety of lifestyle and diet choices, for two survey studies, which we hope will be the largest to date investigating these questions. If you would like to be a part of these studies and are between the ages of 45 and 80, please enter one of the following links:

For women: surveymonkey.com/r/healthywoman2

For men: surveymonkey.com/r/Healthyman2

Cynthia Radnitz, Ph.D.
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Teaneck, NJ

Bonnie Beezhold, Ph.D.
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois