The Altruistic Foundation: Khalil Rafati
The Altruistic Foundation: Khalil Rafati
By Guy Medd
As I sat on the café terrace in the bright Californian sunshine little did I know the story behind the man that started this chain of hip cafes and juice bars which are proliferating throughout California.
In 2011 Khalil Rafati opened his first organic juice bar in affluent Malibu famed for its beaches and the residences of Hollywood ‘A’ listers but in 2003 at just 33 Rafati had reached the peak of his suffering living on the squalid streets of downtown Los Angeles as a Heroin and Cocaine addict. A frail man, aged beyond his years and his skin covered in ulcers he realised he needed help and admitted himself into rehab and has been drug free ever since.
Throwing himself into healthy living, a friend introduced him to juicing, vitamins, super-foods and organics. Rafati was looking for anything that would make him feel better and embraced the concept so much he started making them for staff and patients at his own rehab centre which he opened in 2007.
“Reputation of these new blends spread and I was soon catering to people just dropping in to sample them” he said, “so I knew then I had to start my own business to satisfy demand”, which was when the first of six café and juice bars opened its doors and the very one where I sat observing the world rushing by and nursing my delicious ‘Fountain of Youth” Smoothie although I am still waiting for the effects to ‘kick in’
Today the six outlets of SunLife Organics employ 200 people which (and this is the pertinent bit) he chooses from people who need the kind of help he needed just 10 years before.
You can listen to Khalil Rafati, tell his story of recovery and the profound resiliency of the human body, mind and spirit by clicking this link. Not only has Khalil overcome unimaginable obstacles to survive, he has defied all odds and miraculously repaired his life wholesale. A soul now devoted to the service of others, his primary focus on giving back what was so freely given him.
Khalil’s tale is nothing short of astounding. From the depths of absolute despair, homeless & hopelessly gripped by heroin addiction, Khalil was hell bent on dying. And yet somehow, by way of a grace outside himself, Khalil came out the other side. Not just intact, but repaired. He didn’t just find sobriety. He found his true life purpose. His book ‘I forgot to Die’ is available here on Amazon.
If you have a personal story to share or know of someone deserving of a wider exposure through The Altruistic Foundation platform and its growing list of global subscribers then we’d be delighted to hear from you. It’s free although donations are always appreciated to remain sustainable and we are registered as a not for profit organisation. Just click on the Link above.