“Mexico needs women with balls and senior citizens have this, as well as love for the homeland and respect for themselves.”
So said Yolanda Plascencia Sanchez, elected Jalisco’s Senior (Adulto Mayor) Queen on Wednesday at a ceremony at the Teatro Diana.
As the Abba song “Dancing Queen” played in the background, Plascencia gave encouraging words to the many elderly citizens in the audience.
“We don’t have to stay at home,” Plascenia said. “We can leave a mark, keep on sewing seeds, although others will collect the harvests.”
Said outgoing 2014 queen Estela Preciado Gonzalez: “Senior citizens are a treasure; they are the science teachers of life, rich in experience and wisdom.”
Plascencia, 65, represented the Altos region of Jalisco in a competition organized by the state Family Development Agency (DIF) since 1996. The 13 finalists were aged between 65 and 80.
The crown was presented by Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval, accompanied by his wife Lorena Jassibe, honorary president of DIF Jalisco.
In her role as queen, Plascencia will assist the DIF in its task of providing services and support to the elderly, and promoting “active aging.”
More than 25,000 citizens aged over 65 participate in 663 groups at DIF facilities throughout Jalisco.