Media Launch Announcement

The Children's Movement of Florida to Announce Launch of ‘Milk Party’ Campaign

Miami/Orlando/Tampa-St. Petersburg/Tallahassee – The Children's Movement of Florida will announce a statewide, non-partisan "Milk Party" campaign on behalf of Florida's children on August 9, 2010, as part of a statewide fly-around.

Led by a 27-member committee of influential Floridians, the movement is organizing a sweeping series of 15 “Milk Party” rallies throughout Florida – from Pensacola to Key West – between Sep. 6 and Sept. 30.

The campaign's objective: To educate political, business and civic leaders – and all parents in Florida – about the urgent need to improve the way we care for infants, toddlers and all of our children, making the well-being and education of our children the state's highest priority.

More details will be available during a statewide series of media conferences in Miami, Orlando, the Tampa Bay area and Tallahassee scheduled for Aug. 9. Milk and cookies will be served in all locations.

Miami
Monday, August 9, 2010
9 a.m.
United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
3250 SW Third Ave., 2nd floor

Orlando
Monday, August 9, 2010
Noon
Showalter Flying Service
Orlando Executive Airport, 400 Herndon Ave.

Clearwater
Monday, August 9, 2010
2 p.m.
Holiday Inn – Clearwater-St.Petersburg Airport
3535 Ulmerton Road, Conference Room 1, Clearwater

Tallahassee
Monday, August 9, 2010
5 p.m.
Florida’s Historic Capitol, front steps*
400 South Monroe Street

*In the event of rain, the press conference will be held in the Capitol Plaza Rotunda, 1st floor

Speakers at the events will include:

• Co-chair David Lawrence Jr., retired publisher of The Miami Herald and founding chair of The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County.
• Steering Committee member Betty Castor, former legislator, state education commissioner, and president of the University of South Florida.
• Manny Diaz, an attorney twice elected mayor of Miami and former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
• Ruth Shack, President Emeritus of the Dade Community Foundation and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner.
• Chief campaign strategist Sergio Bendixen, internationally known public opinion researcher and chief strategist of the two overwhelmingly successful campaigns to create and reauthorize The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade.

Contact: Martin Merzer, Communications Director
martin.merzer@childrensmovementflorida.org
Cell: 954-465-1099

Alia Faraj-Johnson, 850-222-1996