The Junior League of Charlotte and CMS partner
to provide the Children's Health & Education Festival

Free Kindergarten Health Assessments Offered

Charlotte, NC – May 17, 2008– The Junior League of Charlotte (JLC) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) are sponsoring Kids HealthLink, a free festival for children and their families to receive healthcare and learn more about health-focused topics. Kids HealthLink will be Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Ashley Park Elementary School, located at 2401 Belfast Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Admission is free.

The festival highlights include:

• Free kindergarten health assessments
• Free vision and hearing screenings
• Free immunizations- Must bring a form of ID and immunization records
• Free entertainment and giveaways

Additional sponsors include Levine Children's Hospital and the School Health Community Alliance.

Kids HealthLink is a part of the JLC's Healthy Child Initiative (HCI), a commitment to raising the awareness of children's health issues, particularly in the areas of mental, dental and physical health in the community.

About the Junior League of Charlotte

Since 1926, the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) has been making a difference in the Charlotte community. An organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community, the JLC annually contributes over $50,000 to community projects and more than 25,000 volunteer hours to programs that help to improve the mental, dental and physical wellness of children in and around Charlotte. The projects that are supported by the JLC include but are not limited to: Big Shot Saturdays, Alexander Youth Network, Chameleon's Journey, Partnership for Children's Dental Health, and Thompson Child & Family Center. The JLC has also formed a partnership with the Levine Children's Hospital and will be opening a Family Resource center in the hospital in 2007.  For more information on the Junior League of Charlotte, call 704-375-5993 or visit the website www.jlcharlotte.org.

Contact: Sarah Porter, JLC Marketing/PR Chair – 704.377.1740 ext. 14 or sarah@classroomcentral.org.

About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a nationally-recognized, county-wide school district serving more than 130,000 students.During the past decade, CMS has won widespread acclaim as one of America's best school districts. Now, CMS and its 17,000 employees are focused on making sure all students are globally competitive. For more information, visit www.cms.k12.nc.us.