BCHD honors Bakaly, remembers Rasnick
Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly was blindsided with a 2019 Spirit of Wellness award. Photo As Tom Bakaly bashfully approached the lectern at the 2019 Spirit of Wellness, he had one word for his colleagues and subordinates at the Beach Cities Health District. “Liars!,” he said, causing the room to burst into laughter. Bakaly, a typically quiet-spoken man who shies away from the spotlight, was the special surprise guest of honor at this year’s awards. Spirit of Wellness annually focuses on those who have made great strides toward improving their health, often through the Health District’s Center for Health and Fitness gym. Bakaly was explicitly honored for transforming himself and losing 60 pounds after joining the Health District as its newest Chief Executive Officer in 2016 — at his highest point, he weighed around 235 pounds; he’s now around 175. More-or-less jokingly, Bakaly was spurred by his son’s insistence that the “CEO of a health district can’t be a fatty,” he said, laughing. Jackie Berling, BCHD’s Chief Wellness Officer, also found that Bakaly dove headfirst into the district’s message of wellness, immediately taking part in the “Planks for Thanks” challenge…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com