Millennium Magazine_8th Ed

208 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine HEALTH AND WELLNESS S upported by over 45 years of experience within physical education, academia and recreational therapy, Lana Van Auker has spent the last 32 years as a recreational therapist at Trumbull Memorial Hospital. Always possessing a love for fitness, dancing and psychology, Ms. Van Auker sought to leverage her passions in order to help other people who struggle with disabilities. In her role, she works with psychiatrists to create treatment plans for individuals, particularly the geriatric community, and conducts therapy and stress management sessions. Prior to her tenure at Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Ms. Van Auker was a health educator at Park Vista Retirement Center from 1986 to 1987 and at the Salem City School District from 1987 to 1988. Likewise, she contributed to Youngstown State University as an exercise technician from 1985 to 1986 and the YWCA as a program director between 1975 and 1985. At the inception of her career in 1973, she was a physical education instructor at the St. Joseph School. Ms. Van Auker teaches hula, belly dance and ballroom dancing, as well as dancing with her businesses “Fitness to Youth” and “Festival Fitness.” Since 2006, she has been the treasurer of the Youngstown Photography Club and is a former vice president of the U.S. Amateur Ballroom Dance Association. Furthermore, she served as president of theActivity Professional Association. In light of her contributions, Ms. Van Auker has accrued multiple accolades. The recipient of the Athena Award in 2010 and Valley Legacy Award in 2011, she has presented at multiple national conventions, with a recent 2020 presentation on “Dancing Your Way through the Pandemic.” Her most esteemed accomplishment is the creation and production of the geriatric video “Exercise is the Fountain of Youth.” She received a first place award at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance’s National Convention in Washington, D.C., selling over 1,000 copies. She has encompassed dance in all areas of her life. She holds a BS in education from Kent State University and an MS in education from Youngstown University, where she was a cum laude graduate. LANA VAN AUKER RECREATIONAL THERAPIST, M.S. EDUCATOR Trumbull Memorial Hospital Canfield, OH