Judith Baumgartner, 69, an employee at the YMCA and long-time advocate for senior issues, recently was honored as one of 34 winners of the 2016 Lieutenant Governor Senior Service Award.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder honored Baumgartner along with other Missouri winners Reese Bucher of Houston, Kathryn Casteel of Gravois Mills, Elizabeth Schmidt of Columbia and Roy and Nancy Witham of Lake Ozark, during a ceremony in the House Lounge at the Missouri Capitol.
The awards ceremony and luncheon were held in May, which was Older Americans Month with the theme of "Blaze A Trail," celebrating how older adults take charge of their health, engage in their communities and make a positive impact in the lives of others.
A native of Holts Summit, Baumgartner has donated her time and energy to numerous organizations in Mid-Missouri. A member of of the Silver Haired Legislature, she also volunteers for the Callaway County Humane Society and Serve, Inc., a non-profit in Fulton that operates a food pantry, transportation system, thrift store and senior volunteer placement serving Callaway County residents.
"Judy is an outstanding asset to our community and has spent countless hours volunteering her time to help residents of Callaway County and the surrounding areas," said Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, who nominated her for the award. "She is a great lady and this recognition is long overdue."
Baumgartner was born and grew up in Port Orchard, Washington, near Seattle, and moved to Missouri in the late '60s. She worked for Apache Lumber company for five years and eventually spent 20 years at Missouri Health Net. After retiring in January 2011, she became involved in many causes close to her heart - serving on the advisory council for the The Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging, which coordinates the Silver Haired Legislature and also funds the senior centers in Mid-Missouri, including those she's currently involved in in Fulton.
"I really like being part of the Silver Haired Legislature," she said. "About five years prior to my retirement, I became interested in politics and what was happening and I have found it both interesting and frustrating to watch the process at the Capitol."
A group representing 10 state areas on aging, the Silver Haired Legislature meets for several days every October to recommend the top five issues affecting seniors for discussion in the General Assembly. Baumgartner's especially proud of the bill, HB 1565, which modified the maximum amount of a money that a senior reports in order to qualify for Medicaid payments through Missouri Health Net.
"When I worked for the state division of aging I became acutely aware of older people in nursing homes that get forgotten,"she said. "Everyone does stuff for kids but I wanted to use my time to help seniors. I have always tried to advocate for seniors and animals."
Even while working for the state, she served seven years as a treasurer for the Callaway County Humane Society.
"I have always been a sucker for animals," she said. "We were raised with dogs and cats and my mom had a Chihuahua and Terrier mix who used to sing for me. I was a second soprano in choir at school and when I sang at home and hit the high notes her dog would howl. One time a neighbor called my mother to complain about the dog and asked me to tone it down."
Baumgartner also rescued animals of her own, including one half Beagle who had seven puppies. One she kept and adopted out the others.
In addition to her volunteer work, she teaches Tai Chi at the Jefferson City Area YMCA West, Callaway County Senior Center and Churchill Terrace Assistant Living in Fulton. A certified Tai Chi instructor, Baumgartner is one of about 20 Tai Chi instructors from around the state selected to participate in a special training offered by the Arthritis Foundation on fall prevention.
"Practicing Tai Chi has helped me avoid surgery from a neck injury in a car accident in the late '90s and it's a great stress reliever," Baumgartner said. "It's easier on the joints and it's also really good for older people and those who have not been that active."
Her interest in Tai Chi grew after taking classes with Nick Mercer at the senior nutrition center at the Capital Mall and she spent several years receiving her certification. That was good news for Donna Prenger, the YMCA coordinator for Group Exercise.
"I receive requests/comments from our members about classes they would like to see offered at the YMCA. Tai Chi was such a class," Prenger said. "However, finding a certified instructor was not easy, but then Judy contacted me to see if the YMCA would be interested in offering Tai Chi classes. The rest is history."
"Judy just fell out of the sky and landed in our laps and we're very fortunate. She's an excellent instructor and is also the perfect role model for our older adults; she is active and leading a healthy lifestyle," she added.
As the senior advocate for Missouri, Kinder created the awards in 2005 to recognize and celebrate the contributions seniors make in their communities through volunteerism. Since then, more than 300 seniors have won the award.
"It was a total surprise and completely out of the blue when I heard that I had won the award. I am very honored to be included in this group of people," Baumgartner said.