SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- Mrs. Iowa International 2009 Val Whitehead of Spencer, Iowa, has been named the guest keynote speaker for the sixth annual Go Red For Women Luncheon Dec. 4 at the Marina Inn.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. with a silent auction of red purses, bags and unique red items. Noon lunch will be served, followed by Whitehead's presentation.

Whitehead, a nurse since 1993, has worked in a variety of areas and currently manages an ambulatory surgery center in Spencer. She said she is promoting the Go Red for Women Campaign for personal family reasons.

"We lost both of my in-laws in their early 60s, both to heart attacks and my children have grown up with only one set of grandparents,'' she said.

Her sister-in-law also suffered two heart attacks by the age of 44. Her mother has had surgery for cardiovascular disease.

For tickets to the luncheon, call Linda Wadedo Jochims, local events director for the Siouxland American Heart and Stroke Association at 255-4798 or stop by Great Southern Bank branches or the gift shops at Mercy Medical Center of St. Luke's Regional Medical Center.