On June 30, members of Karun Court 89, the masonic sister organization to the Shriners, partnered with the NHR Blueprint Foundation, a local 501c3, to present “Zumba with Yolanda” for the Charles Albury Golden Years Mentoring Initiative. This event was originally scheduled for October of 2017, but had to be rescheduled due to a
tropical storm.
Participants met at the Handsboro Community Center for a morning of fitness, fun, and information. Participants arrived to this free event in their workout clothing ready to roll. Everyone received breakfast bars and water bottles from sponsor MAWS Inc. The morning began with an intense Zumba session, with a full cardio work out, stretching, and muscle isolation. The instructor, Yolanda Wilson RN, gave a full out energetic work out, and her partner worked beside her at a slower pace so that those without the energy for a full workout could still
participate and benefit.
Nurse Yolanda was contracted and brought over from New Orleans. She is an international Zumba instructor, with a following of thousands of men and women. Her amazing story and transformation stems from a period of depression which led her to at 5 foot 1 rising to almost 300 pounds. Zumba literally saved her life.
After the workout, Nurse Yolanda began her workshop on fitness and nutrition, which served as an intimate heart to heart for those in attendance. She spoke on nutrition, women and nutrition, nutrition in regards to age and race, and also wellness advice on meal prep and healthy life style habits. A question and answer session followed.
The generations in attendance were represented from 20s through 60s. Participants were a
mix of local residents, various Gulf Coast county residents, and participants from as far as New
Orleans.
