Long Beach Community Hospital to Host Kathy Ireland

Supermodel Kathy Ireland, 9-1-1 for Kids and Community Hospital of Long Beach will host the 16th annual award-winning 'IGNITE' mentoring program for disadvantaged single teen mothers on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at Community Hospital of Long Beach. The program addresses the complexities of teen pregnancy and has since been recognized as one of the nation's leading mentor programs for single teen mothers. The Kathy Ireland Mentor Program (KIMP) received the Governor's Crystal Star Award in 1996 and is devoted to encouraging and supporting each teen mother while helping to build self esteem, and create a positive self-image and look towards a brighter future. KIMP matches professional businesswomen as mentors and role models to teen mothers.

Many of the teens who participate in KIMP successfully transition into responsible adults, gain new hope and aspirations, and learn responsible parenting. Many receive high school diplomas, have gone on to trade school and/or 2- and 4-year colleges, and some have completed professional and postgraduate degrees.Kathy Ireland, CEO, Kathy Ireland Worldwide and International Ambassador of 9-1-1 for Kids, and Elise Kim, executive director, 9-1-1 for Kids created KIMP for single teen mothers in 1990 in collaboration with the nonprofit public safety education organization 9-1-1 for Kids.Facts on Teen Pregnancy in the United States: The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate; Close to 1 million teens become pregnant each year among developed countries; Almost half of all teen mothers end up on welfare; 95 percent of teen pregnancies are unintended; 1-in-4 teen mothers will have their second child within 2 years of the first one; Less than 40 percent of teen mothers finish high school; About 1/3 of teen pregnancies will end in abortion, 1/3 will end in spontaneous miscarriage and 1/3 will continue their pregnancy to term.