Three Benefits of Swimming

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Joanna Manaves is the director of planning and materials management for Peacock Foods. In her free time, Joanna Manaves enjoys swimming, water skiing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

Many people know that swimming is one of the best forms of exercise. Here are some reasons why:

Full-Body Workout

Swimming impacts the entire body and engages muscles from head to toe. As a result, it builds strength and endurance, tones muscles, and increases the heart rate without stressing the body.

Low-Impact Workout

Because swimming is a low-impact sport, it is appropriate for people suffering from injuries, and those who have conditions such as arthritis or other painful disabilities that make other sports difficult.

Burns Calories

A 160-pound person can burn between 400 and 715 calories an hour depending on his or her pace. In contrast, an hour of walking burns just over 300 calories and an hour on the elliptical trainer burns 365 calories. 

The Wild Horses of Salt River, Arizona

Joanna Manaves is a Chicago entrepreneur who serves as director of planning and materials management with Peacock Foods. An avid traveler, Joanna Manaves is most familiar with the Scottsdale, Arizona, area and has explored the scenic highlights of the region. One of her memorable experiences was viewing wild horses or mustangs.

Free-roaming horses have been an attribute of the Western landscape since the 16th century, when they were brought to the continent by Spanish explorers. The word mustang comes from the Spanish “mustengo,” which has the meaning “ownerless animal.”

Over the centuries, the horses that survived and thrived in an arid region such as Arizona were tough, durable, and canny. Unfortunately, much like the bison, they were seen as taking valuable grazing land from cattle. Those alive today are descendants of the few who evaded concerted efforts by ranchers from 1850 through the early 1970s to eliminate them.

In 1971, the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act enabled the establishment of specific protected wild horse territories. Today there are an estimated 500 wild horses remaining across the state of Arizona. In the vicinity of Scottsdale, the mustangs live within the Salt River Canyon in the Tonto National Forest. The canyon features dense riparian vegetation, which they feed on in family groups.

 

Hellenic Bar Association Foundation Honors UHVA Founder

A packaging and supply chain professional, Joanna Manaves has been directing planning and materials management at Peacock Foods in Geneva, Illinois, for the past 18 years. Joanna Manaves is also a dedicated member of the United Hellenic Voters of America (UHVA). She currently leads UHVA operations as its national director.

Another prominent Greek American organization, the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation recently honored the founder of the UHVA with a 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. A highly educated mathematician who taught over 40 years at DeVry University, Dr. Dimitrios Kyriazopoulos established the UHVA in 1974. Under his leadership, the UHVA works at the grassroots level to serve Greek Americans in the greater Chicago area, spearheading a range of political and community affairs initiatives to further issues of vital importance to the local Greek American community.

Remaining consistent with the theme of its 2020 Scholarship Ball, “Continuing the Legacy, " the Hellenic Bar Association Foundation also recognized the efforts of Dr. Kyriazopoulos’ stepdaughter and current UHVA national supreme chairman Kiki Stamatiou Whitehead. Ms. Whitehead carries on Dr. Kyriazopoulos’ legacy while keeping UHVA up to date with the latest technological advancements. 

United Hellenic Voters of America's 45th Annual Gala

The Planning and Materials Management Director for Peacock Foods, Joanna Manaves oversees customer service, production planning, and inventory control for the company’s five Chicago plants. Additionally, Joanna Manaves serves as National Director for the United Hellenic Voters of America.

A non-partisan organization established in 1974, the United Hellenic Voters of America (UHVA) encourages Greek Americans to vote, and also provides the opportunity to meet politicians. The organization celebrated its 45th annual gala on October 20, 2019, at the Fountain Blue Banquets and Conference Center, where Hellenic business owners, elected officials, and other professionals gathered to network and celebrate their successes.

The UHVA opened the event with the American and Greek national anthems sung by Lori Theodore, followed by the distribution of awards. These included the Philhellene of the Year, which went to chairman of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation Robert A. Buhler, as well as the Mayor of the Year Award (won by Sam Cunningham) and the Legislator of the Year Award (won by Commissioner Michael Cabonargi). 

The UHVA Persons of the Year Honorees

In addition to her role as director of planning and materials management of Peacock Foods in Geneva, Illinois, Joanna Manaves has a history of involvement with the United Hellenic Voters of America (UHVA). Joanna Manaves serves as both a board member and a regional vice president of the UHVA.

A grassroots nonpartisan group, the UHVA has been serving the Greek-American community of greater Chicago area since 1974. At its 45th Annual Gala, the organization celebrated its Persons of the Year for 2019/2020.

Each year, the UHVA recognizes several Persons of the Year for their outstanding professional achievements and their ongoing dedication to the Greek community. 2019/2020 honorees include Legislator of the Year commissioner Michael Cabonargi of the 2nd District Cook County Board of Review and Philhellene of the Year Robert Buhle of the Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation. The Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation also received honors as the Organization of the Year.

The 2019/2020 UHVA Persons of the Year also singled out distinguished Greek-Americans in specific professional areas. GARA president Steve Theofanous took top honors in the business category while St. John’s Greek School director Georgia Katsis took top honors in the education category.