President Obama and First Lady to Attend CHCI Hispanic Heritage Month Festivities

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CHCI Chair Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez announced today that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will participate in CHCI's 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month festivities in Washington D.C.

First Lady Michelle Obama will address the Morning Plenary -- America's Promise: The Impact of Healthcare Reform at CHCI's 2010 Public Policy Conference on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 9:00 to 10:45 am at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.  She will deliver remarks about the Let's Move! initiative and its goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation.

President Barack Obama, joined by the First Lady, will address more than 3,000 guests at CHCI's 33rd Annual Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 15, 2010, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.  

Chair Velazquez will present the 2010 CHCI Chair's Award to In the Heights Broadway composer and Tony-winning songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The 2010 Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service Awards will be presented to actress Eva Longoria Parker and jazz legend Arturo Sandoval, in recognition of their contributions to the Latino community.

Grammy-nominated percussionist Sheila E. will headline Gala entertainment.  Latin pop sensation Irving "PeeWee" Salinas will open the show and sing the national anthem. CHCI's 2009 Medallion awardee and CNN special correspondent Soledad O'Brien will celebrity host the evening's events.

CHCI's Hispanic Heritage Month theme, Celebrating History, Heritage, and the American Dream, commemorates the 200th anniversary of independence for many Central and South American countries and the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santa Fe in 1610. The contributions, struggles, challenges, and successes of the Latino community across the nation will be highlighted throughout the week.

Press Credentials:  Please register for credentials online at http://www.chci.org/events/page/2010-hhm-media-credentials

CHCI Annual Awards Gala

CHCI's 33rd Annual Awards Gala will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on September 15, 2010, and is the largest and most prestigious gathering of Hispanic bipartisan, public and private sector leaders in the nation. Join national leaders, elected officials, corporate executives, educators, and entertainers as we gather to celebrate the achievements of the Latino community. As the hallmark event of Hispanic Heritage Month, the evening provides supporters and friends of CHCI an opportunity to network while honoring the annual Chair's Award(s) and the CHCI Medallion of Excellence honorees.   

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders.  The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit leaders and corporate executives.  For more information, call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit www.chci.org.

SOURCE Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute