MEXICAN AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY FOUNDATION TO HOLD 3rd ANNUAL ˇVIVE TU VIDA! GET UP! GET MOVING! EVENT

Free event set for Saturday, Oct. 17 will include health screenings, family fun activities, Farmer's Market, and Chivas USA player autographs

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 16, 2009) - The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) will host the third-annual ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!^TM family health fair on Saturday, October 17, at the East Los Angeles Civic Center, 4801 E. 3rd Street. The program begins at 8 a.m. with the inaugural VELAS Lighthouse 10k/5k Run and Family Fun Walk, followed by the opening ceremony on the main stage.

ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! is part of the premier national family physical activity and healthy lifestyle event series, which is held in nine cities across the nation and attracts over 50,000 participants annually. The goal of this free health fair is to support physical activity and healthy lifestyles for people of all ages and all sizes and create awareness of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and HIV/AIDS, all of which disproportionately affect Hispanics.

ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! will feature a variety of free health screenings, including dental oral cancer, blood pressure, glucose, and lung spirometer examinations. Fun activities for the whole family will include sports demonstrations from Major League Soccer team Chivas USA, tennis clinics, First Tee/Golf, rock climbing wall, food samples, a Farmer's Market, and live music.

This community event 'will provide our local families with services that address physical activity, preventive care, and positive lifestyle choices,' said Martin Castro, MAOF President and CEO.

'Supporting families to make physical activity a regular part of their lifestyle is one of the most important steps we can take to maintain and protect our family's health,' added Dr. Jane Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health.

The Alliance and the Health Foundation for the Americas are the title sponsors of ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! and supporters of MAOF. National partners also include AstraZeneca, Univision Communications, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and the U.S. Tennis Association. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, and other elected officials are supporting the event and helping to promote Hispanic family physical activity for better health and wellness on a local basis.

Editor's Note: The evening of October 17th, Chivas USA will make an on-field presentation to MAOF and ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! at the Chivas USA home game at the Home Depot Center in Carson. 



About MAOF
The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), a 501 (c)(3) charity founded in 1963, is the nation's largest Latino-serving social service organization. The mission of MAOF is to provide for the socioeconomic betterment of the greater Latino community of California, while preserving the pride, values and heritage of the Mexican American culture. This is accomplished through programs in early childhood education and family services, job training, and senior lifestyle development throughout the multicultural communities served by MAOF. For more information about MAOF, visit www.maof.org.

About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is the nation's foremost source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 15 million each year, making a daily difference in the lives of Hispanic communities and families. For more information, visit www.hispanichealth.org or call the Alliance's Su Familia National Hispanic Family Health Helpline at 866-783-2645.

About the Health Foundation for the Americas (HFA)
HFA is the support organization for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. HFA encourages philanthropy to give voice for the power and promise of Hispanic community-based solutions and at the same time challenge medicine and science to apply the lessons from the Hispanic health experience to benefit all communities.

About ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!^TM
ˇVive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! is the premier national family physical activity and healthy lifestyle event series with a nine city tour expected to attract over 50,000 participants. Held annually since 2007, the family-oriented events are organized by ten leading Hispanic community-based organizations and are tailored to the interests and cultures of their community. Events are being held in Albuquerque, NM; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Phoenix, AZ; and San Diego, CA. The series is presented by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the Health Foundation for the Americas along with its national sponsors: AstraZeneca, Univision Communication's Salud es vida Entérate!, the United States Soccer Foundation, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA). More information is available by calling 1-866-783-2645, texting VIDA to 30644, or visiting www.hispanichealth.org/vida/

For more information, contact:

Frank Molina, MAOF Public Relations
(626) 755-6159 or
frank@valenciacompany.com

Carmen L. Cruz, NAHH Public Relations
(404) 408-2103 or
clcruz@effectivemediagroup.com