NLCI Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: |
Maria Pineda |
National Child Safety Seat Initiative Helps Families Keep their
Children Safe on the Road
Traffic Fatalities Leading Cause of Death for Hispanic Children
Miami, Fla. (October 21, 2011) —The National Latino Children’s Institute and Ford Motor Company Fund will join forces with the CNC to inform Hispanic families, child care providers, and the Spanish-speaking community to highlight the important role that safety seats and seat belts play in saving children’s lives during the CNC Health, Safety and Wellness Fair on Saturday, October 22, at Douglas Park.
“Corazón de mi vida builds on parents’ love for their children and provides them with the information they need to keep their children safe,” said Josie Garza, executive director, NLCI. “Ford Motor Company Fund’s involvement has helped us reach Hispanic families throughout the country with this important message.”
Motor vehicle crash injuries are the leading cause of death for Hispanic children of all ages (after the first year of life). Hispanic children under 13 years old also have a lower use of restraints such as child safety seats, booster seats and seat belts than non-Hispanic children.
Ford Motor Company Fund will donate 100 booster seats to families selected by the CNC and Centro Matter. Certified technicians will help the families correctly install the booster seats in their vehicle. NLCI will also host a parent plática/chat to discuss child passenger safety with the families.
“There is nothing more important to Ford Motor Company than the safety of our families on the roadways-,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “By working directly with parents and raising awareness of child passenger safety in Latino communities, Ford is taking strides to ensure auto safety for children.”
“We are excited to partner with NLCI and Ford to bring this important initiative to the CNC Health Fair,” said Guarione Diaz, president, CNC. “Program like Corazon help parents select and properly install child safety seats. Ultimately, our goal is eliminating the injury or fatality due to traffic crashes of young children in our community.”
Cultural and language barriers are contributing factors to the alarming number of child traffic fatalities in the Latino community. Aimed at breaking these barriers, Corazón de mi vida emphasizes the valuable role children play in the lives of family and society. It capitalizes on the child-focused nature of the Latino culture in order to encourage the proper use of child safety seats and seat belts. The name of the campaign, Corazón de mi vida, is a term of endearment used between family members and close friends to express that someone is at the center of their life.
Corazón de mi vida is a bilingual and bicultural educational program on child passenger safety. The program was developed by the National Latino Children’s Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
For additional information about child passenger safety and seat belts please go to www.nlci.org.
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About the National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI)
The National Latino Children’s Institute focuses the nation’s attention on the contributions and challenges of young Latinos by advocating for their success and well being through partnerships and programs. NLCI carries out its mission by working with community organizations and national partners. Our history and expertise in working with the Latino community, as well as the staff’s commitment and strong relationships across the country, make NLCI ideally suited to create and implement strategies that eliminate barriers to building healthy communities for young Latinos. NLCI envisions communities and a nation where young Latinos are heard, valued and a priority for the future of our nation.
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and American heritage and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 27,000 Ford employees and retirees work on projects that better their communities in dozens of countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.
About CNC
CNC is a nonprofit, human services organization. For 37 years, the CNC has served all in need regardless of race, nationality or ethnic background. CNC’s clients and participants range from infants to seniors. Its programs serve 5,000 yearly, covering education, housing, childcare, and more; and are based in Miami, northern New Jersey and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.cnc.org.
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