HispanicBusiness

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A select group of celebrities, including Rita Moreno, Reese Witherspoon and Ed Asner, have joined the Ambassadors for the Americas, a new program of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) that mobilizes celebrities in support of advancing reproductive health in Latin America and the Caribbean.

IPPF/WHR will launch the Ambassadors program on February 6, 2003 at a cocktail reception and presentation at the Universal Hilton in Los Angeles. To celebrate the launch, several ambassadors will be in attendance, including Hector Elizondo, Morgan Fairchild, Elliott Gould, Joanna Kerns, Rebecca Romaijn Stamos and Cheryl Tiegs, among others. Local television host Martha Velez of Generation Tu! is the chairperson for the event and will introduce the Ambassadors and the evening's speakers.

As Ambassadors, these celebrities will join their voices to a growing group of activists who are committed to promoting the cause and work of IPPF/WHR. Throughout the day, several Ambassadors will record radio and television public service announcements about specific sexual and reproductive health issues, such as HIV prevention and gender-based violence. Other celebrities who have signed on as Ambassadors include Sally Jesse Rafael, Arturo Sandoval, Bianca Jagger and Jimmy Smits.

The event in Los Angeles will also be the occasion of the first public appearance of Dr. Carmen Barroso as the new Regional Director of IPPF/WHR. Dr. Barroso, a widely-acknowledged leader and visionary in the field of sexual and reproductive health, comes to IPPF/WHR from the MacArthur Foundation, where she headed the Population and Reproductive Health Area for 12 years. At the event, she will speak about her vision for IPPF/WHR's role in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights. Dr. Barroso will also introduce a new video produced by IPPF/WHR that documents its work to eliminate violence against women.

IPPF/WHR and its 45 member associations throughout the Americas provide more than 10 million services each year. Approaching its work with a commitment to sexual and reproductive health information and services as a basic human right, IPPF/WHR addresses a range of health issues including family planning, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and screening and care for victims of gender-based violence.

What: IPPF/WHR Presents Ambassadors for the Americas When: Thursday, February 6, 2003, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Where: Mandarin Room, Universal Hilton, 555 Universal Terrace Parkway, Universal City Web: www.ippfwhr.orgInternational Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region

CONTACT: Eduardo Gomez, Communications Associate, IPPF-WHR,+1-212-248-6400, info@ippfwhr.org

Web site: http://www.ippfwhr.org/