John Legris did an excellent job of introducing our speaker for the day, JudyAnn Armijo, who had been brought to us by Destiny. Brenda Jackson knew of her and added her explanation of several of the speaker's points which added measurably to our understanding of the subject. JudyAnn was born and raised in San Antonio. She attended Burbank High School and played women's softball and won an athletic scholarship to the University of the Incarnate Word where she participated in Div II Collegiate Softball for 4 years. In college she "found a passion for health and wellness." She is currently pursuing her Doctorate Degree in Organizational Leadership to further her knowledge in research. Her topic today was the lifestyle impact of diabetes. JudyAnn pointed out that children have a better chance of avoiding the complications of diabetes if they are active and eat a properly balanced diet. She discussed the importance of educating children about diabetes so they can talk to their parents and grandparents about proper diets. She has observed that the local grocery chain, HEB, on the far west and south sides of San Antonio frequently do not have fresh fruits and vegetables due to the short shelf life. She has also noticed that most Hispanics feel spending money on fresh fruits and vegetables as a waste of money. Club members discussed our club's support of the West Side Girl Scout Leadership Daisy Pantry and how we have to buy from the listing they give us, rather than more healthful food. We agreed this Girl Scout location might be a good target for her organization to provide food education. It was a very informative and interesting presentation.
Roger Thompson graciously donated books to be used for our donations to the Locke Hill Elementary School in honor of our speakers.
JudyAnn showed interest in learning more about Rotary. We lost no time in sharing information about Rotary for her to take home. She appears to be a good candidate for club membership.
As is our tradition we will donate a book in honor of our speaker to the Locke Hill Elementary School library.