Corazón de mi vida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, October 21, 2004

Santa Ana, CA—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 Orange County efforts today in Santa Ana. Corazón de mi vida joined forces with the local organization, Latino Health Access, 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.

Accidents are the leading cause of death for children under age 4 in Orange County. In California, motor vehicle occupant injuries are among the top five causes of both death and injury among children under age 16. 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 Latino Health Access, a practical demonstration on the use of child safety seats and their installation in vehicles took place. In addition, newly certified technicians from the area inspected participants’ vehicles to determine whether their child safety seats were properly installed. Ford Motor Company donated 50 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.

As part of the Santa Ana program, twenty public safety advocates from the area were trained to be certified bilingual Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians. These safety advocates attended a 5-day bilingual standardized child passenger safety training class this week.

"We are excited to partner with NLCI on Corazón de mi Vida initiative. It's a great way to get the message out on the importance of child safety seats and seat belts to Santa Ana families." said America Bracho, President and CEO, Latino Health Access.

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.

“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,” said Dr. Federico Vaca, Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine.

“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. Latino Health Access is the initiative’s local partners in Santa Ana. 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.