with members of the press. She becomes, in effect, the public symbol of all wives and mothers. The modern pageant, while maintaining its traditions, now seeks to recognize what David calls, “America’s greatest natural resource – the contemporary married woman.” The winner of the Mrs. America Competition represents America in the international Mrs. World Pageant. What does Mrs. Iowa mean to you? It’s tremendous! In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 goes on to say that our body is a temple, a place where God wants to draw near to us and to honor Him with our bodies. And that speaks to my heart. So, being a title holder is giving me the opportunity to share my passion and faith to a broader audience. I couldn’t really ask for more. More than 900,000 Americans die from lifestylerelated diseases each year. I haven’t been able to find a statistic on African Americans specifically for the top five lifestyle diseases (heart disease, cancer, stroke, lower respiratory, and unintentional injuries...not to mention diabetes and obesity), but when you consider that 70,000 African Americans from heard disease annually and have a life expectancy four years shorter than Caucasians, you can see there is a ton of awareness that is needed. I am only one voice, but, to the one who is willing to listen and act, I can change and maybe even save their life. You can’t really put a value on that. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? As a life-long Iowa resident, there is no other place
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