Recording Artist Kat DeLuna Named International Ambassador for Latino Commission on AIDS

Dennis deLeon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS, announced that Kat DeLuna is the 2008 International Ambassador to the Commission. Ms. DeLuna will accept the title passed down from Gael Garcia Bernal on May 13, 2008, at Cipriani Wall Street during Cielo Latino, the largest national fundraiser for the Latino community in its fight against AIDS.

In recent months, Ms. DeLuna has emerged as one of the defining faces of pop’s next generation. Ms. DeLuna’s sound is a colorful canvas of strokes blending together hip hop, R&B, meringue, pop, Latin jazz, electronic, and dance. She has been honored as MTV Tr3s’ Best New Artist and nominated for a Latin Billboard Award. Ms. DeLuna was also featured in People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Teen Vogue, and Latina magazine.

Ms. DeLuna was born in the Bronx but she was raised in the Dominican Republic. After much hardship, Ms. DeLuna decided to use her emotions to fuel her music and began writing her own music and pursuing her lifelong dream of being a singer. This drive led Ms. DeLuna to have the hit single “Whine Up” featuring Elephant Man.

“As a Latina I am committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS in our community,” said DeLuna. “The Latino Commission on AIDS has made great strides in HIV prevention and I am honored to serve as their International Ambassador in the fight. Now is the time to call attention to the problems this disease is bringing to Latino communities across the U.S. and Latin America. Together as a community we can better stop the spread of the disease and provide better care for people living with HIV.”

Cielo Latino draws celebrities from all over such as Lupe Ontiveros, Rosie Perez, Amaury Nolasco, Odalys Molina, Jorge Villamizar, Geraldo Rivera (host), Cucu Diamantes (entertainment), Jaslene Gonzalez, Miss Teen USA Hilary Cruz, Miss USA Crystal Stewart, and former Miss USA Denise Quiñones.

For further information, please visit www.latinoaids.org/Cielo or contact Elayne Monnens at 212-584-9318.

The Latino Commission on AIDS is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. In response to the critical, unmet need for HIV prevention and care for Latinos, a coalition of Latino leaders founded the agency in 1990. The Commission realizes its mission by spearheading health advocacy for Latinos, promoting HIV education, developing model prevention programs for high-risk communities, building capacity in local organizations and health departments, and by conducting community-driven research and evaluation. Through its extensive network of member organizations and community leaders, the Commission works to mobilize an effective Latino community response to the health crisis created by HIV/AIDS. The Commission is currently providing services in more than 40 States, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Since 1993 the Commission has been directed by Dennis deLeon, a national advocate and visionary leader of the Latino community’s struggle to contain the AIDS epidemic.”*

• A small Dominican Republic town plagued by birth defects wants to know if a U.S. power company is to blame.
• AP Launches Mobile News Network, “AP Mobile América Latina”
• Only in CATALINA Magazine – Mario Lopez on the Job and at Home
• Latin American Businesses look to past in adapting to Current Economic Downturn.
• MTV TR3S CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF HIT SERIES “QUIERO MIS QUINCES”
• @ Ad-Tech New York: WPP’s Latin American Interest, Hispanic Digital Panel
• The Prevention Research Center (PRC) in St. Louis is launching a multinational research project focused on preventing the leading causes of death in Hispanics in the United States and Latin America. – will conduct a four-year, $2.8 million effort to apply and adapt evidence-based strategies for preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity in the United States, Mexico and Brazil
• Calle 13: With the people, without a map – Calle 13 hit it big in a hurry. Unsettled by fame, MC Rene Perez set out to connect on a personal level with Latin America.
• Iberoamerica:Our Way(s) lasts from November 5-13 and will feature Latin American films at MoMA in NYC
• Mexican President Felipe Calderon honored at gala in Miami by Latin Trade magazine,
• In Latin America, weapons buying spreads mistrust – Weapons purchases in Latin America are soaring as nations cast a wary eye on their neighbors.
• Marcus Grimm: “The Three Rules of Digital Magazines for the Latin Marketplace”
• comScore to Acquire Certifica, a Provider of Web Measurement in Latin America
• Paulina Rubio Named La Mujer del Año by GQ Mexico
• 75% of HIV Positive Hispanics Have AIDS
• Latina’s ‘Viva Mexico’ Special Issue Debuts Custom Covers and Generates Additional Revenue, Advertisers
• Americas Program Report: A New Financial Architecture for Latin America, Part 2 – South American Trade and Currency Volatility
• Residente of Calle 13, true Latin American activist
• Cafe Media Story Picked up By NBC – Chicago
• Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day October 15, 2009