Corazón de mi vida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2004

Kansas City, MO—Corazón de mi vida (you are the center of my life), a national bilingual initiative created by the National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI), kicked-off its Kansas City efforts today. Corazón de mi vida joined forces with local organizations to inform Latino families, child care providers and the Spanish-speaking community about the important role that car seats and seat belts play in saving children’s lives.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury death of children in Kansas. In Missouri, the fatality rate due to car accidents was 43% higher than the national average. On a national level, six out of ten children who die in traffic crashes are completely unrestrained.

“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 Rebecca Barrera, President of NLCI, “Ford Motor Company’s involvement enables us to take our initiative to more communities throughout the country and reach an increasing number of the growing Hispanic population.”

During the event, which was held at the Guadalupe Center, a practical demonstration on the use of child safety seats and their installation in vehicles took place. In addition, certified technicians inspected participants’ vehicles to determine whether their child safety seats were properly installed. Ford Motor Company donated 100 car seats for families who did not have their child in a safety seat. The Corazón de mi vida activities also include a Parent plática or one-on-one education workshops with parents and children. A safety seat check event and Parent plática also took place at El Centro Inc. in Kansas City, KS this week.

“Corazón de mi vida will have a huge impact on our community,” said Diane Rojas, Associate Director, Health and Human Services, Guadalupe Center, “As the Latino community continues to grow in Kansas City, getting the message out on the importance of child safety seats and seat belts to Kansas City families become more critical.”

“According to the American Automobile Association African-American and Latino children have the highest automobile death rates over any other group; which is one of the reasons we are so committed to getting the word about correct safety seat installation and use.  We are excited to partner with NLCI on this important initiative,” said Della Musquiz, Vice President of Child and Youth Development at El Centro, Inc. “Our children are our future and in order to keep them safe we must continue to work together to encourage the correct use of safety seats and seat belts.”  

Aimed at young parents and their extended families, 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 Spanish phrase Corazon 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.

“We are pleased to continue to work with NLCI to raise awareness of child passenger safety in Latino communities,” said Sandra Ulsh, President, Ford Motor Company Fund, “Working on this initiative with NLCI is a natural fit for Ford Motor Company since safety education is one of our top priorities.”

This program was developed by the National Latino Children’s Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with financial support from Ford Motor Company Fund and Nationwide insurance company. It also has the support of the Guadalupe Center and El Centro Inc. Corazón de mi vida is an educational program on passenger safety.

For additional information about child passenger safety and seat belts please go to www.nlci.org.