Page 24 - Demo

24 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || SEPTEMBER 2015 but this is three hours to yourself. No phone. No work. No outside distractions. Carla calls this %u201cmy time,%u201d when no one can get to her. %u201cI see potential in every single person. Everyone is a light. If everybody would do what they%u2019re passionate about it%u2019d be a different world.%u201darla is no stranger to philanthropy, and when we brought up the topic she was eager to share her many projects. Carla has been working with GENYOUth, a project that empowers children to understand their bodies and helps them get good food. GENYOUth focuses on giving youth a voice to make the change they need and become self-advocates for living healthier lives. Close to home, Carla has been working with the Washington DC Central Kitchen, where they feed the homeless 300 meals a day. They also have a program teaching people to cook and helping them get back into the workforce.%u201cGive a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach the man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.%u201d Hold on there%u2019s more. Carla sits on the board of the Pajama Program. With chapters around the country, the Pajama Program seeks to give children in need new pajamas and books. There are so many ways that you can get involved and we encourage you to check out these programs or ones close to home. Donating your money, resources or even time helps more than you might now. Successful cookbooks, cookie production, The Chew and now an upcoming restaurant, how can Carla juggle all of this? Well, living a well balance and healthy life. But Carla does not want to stop there. Carla is driven to inspire others, and wants to find a way to continue doing that through cooking. Her cookbook, Comfort Foods Around the World, focused on how different cultures interact with similar ingredients. Carla wants to continue focusing on how to bring people together amidst difficult social events and use cooking to help us come together and see how the differences can be strengths. So where will you see Carla next? Only time will tell. But rest assured you will be blown away by her passion and drive to change lives and ability to share her light with you, and her delicious cooking. Photo Credit:Frances Janischwww.francesjanisch.com