Medical Equipment Entrepreneur Wins a Maui Vacation
For Immediate Release:
May 31, 2011
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Waconia, Minn. — After nearly 48,000 votes were cast in the final round alone to help PETA select the winners, 36-year-old Waconia resident Jason Velick beat out nine other finalists to be crowned the male winner of PETA's 2011 Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest. Velick and a friend have won a seven-night stay in beautiful Maui, courtesy of the PETA Member Advantage Program.
"Jason is living proof that going vegetarian is a great way to protect your health, boost your energy level, and ramp up your sex appeal," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "After all, what's sexier than someone who exudes passion and compassion?"
Velick, who went vegetarian three years ago and has become an avid chef, says that he was inspired to go vegan after reading the groundbreaking health book The China Study and taking a class called "Human-Animal Interactions and Their Philosophical Issues" at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds a degree in molecular biology and is self-employed as a representative of a company that sells medical ultrasound equipment.
Although Velick says that he feels healthier than ever before, his concern for animals was also a driving force that led to his vegan lifestyle. He has taken part in many pro-animal demonstrations, including several protests outside a national pet-store chain that sells animals as well as a Fur-Free Friday demonstration at Nicollet Mall on a freezing-cold day. He is also an active supporter of the Minneapolis-based Animal Rights Coalition. Velick firmly believes that life is a gift that should not be taken for granted and that all living beings on this planet should be entitled to live their lives free from abuse.
Velick and his wife love to travel, and his turn-ons include compassionate people and tropical destinations. But, he says, greed is a big turn-off.
Velick is available for interviews. For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.
