LOS ANGELES- (March 31, 2010) – Puerto Rican actress and union activist Miluka Rivera was honored with an Exceptional Woman Award (Arts & Culture) by the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión. She was among the 30-selected Latina woman who has made a difference in her community. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, the newspaper  interviewed those 30 women in Southern California from different fields. La Opinión honored the women at an awards ceremony and luncheon on March 30 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, in Los Angeles, California.

“I am grateful and feel honored with such a distinction by La Opinion. It is our duty to leave the world better than we found it,” declares Rivera, former Screen Actors Guild (SAG) National Board Member and the last chair of the SAG Latino-subcommittee.

Miluka Rivera, a former beauty queen, has been a model and actress since an early age. She made over 90 TV commercials, worked in films, TV and on stage. As a journalist Ms. Rivera articles and interviews have appeared in; LA Times, Writers Guild of America West Journal, and Screen Actor magazine, among others.  With a diverse background, not long ago, Miluka Rivera hosted and produced a weekly radio show “Living Legends with Miluka Rivera” on KIEV 870 AM, in Glendale, Ca. As a filmmaker she directed, wrote and produced the short, “Hollywood Latinos Offspring” (HLO), based of her poem of the same name, highlighting the valuable contributions of Latinos in films. Henry Darrow, Olga San Juan, Roselyn Sánchez and Eddie Vélez, appeared in the HLO short.

Miluka Rivera’s never slackening labors on behalf of the Latino actors and community, earned her inclusion for several years in the coveted and prestigious Marquis’s Editions, “Who’s Who in the World” and “Who’s Who in America,” among others. Presently Rivera is the co-owner and founder of the Kumaras Center for the Arts, Dance & Etiquette in Burbank, CA and is working on the completion of a book about Puerto Rican actors legacy in Hollywood.

Celebration of Spring and Earth Week

Burbank, CA (March 16, 2010) - The Kumaras Center for the Arts, Dance & Etiquette, is celebrating its 5th Anniversary. The awarded center has played a central role in providing Ballroom and Etiquette instruction for children and adults and granting scholarships, educational and cultural diffusion for the valley community.

To help usher in this new decade and to celebrate Spring and Earth Week, the Center will be hosting free events; pro-literacy, music & dance during the months of March and April. On March 20, “Spring Equinox” 10:00 AM - Storytelling (all ages). Earth Gratitude Ceremony by the Center’s director, Miluka Rivera and Adam Yellowbird Dearmon, followed by a movie-screening (Pre-teen/teen). At 2:00 PM - Ballroom dance workout (Teen/Adult) by instructor and former Broadway performer, Navarre Matlovsky.

“We believe in giving back and building community,” said the center’s co-owner, Miluka Rivera. Adding, “our intention is to foster, inspire and encourage conduits of hope for the younger generation, the future wisdom keepers of the world. The Elder’s said, that we should treat all things as spirit and realize that we are all one big family.”

Earth Day events on April 11, includes; 10:00 AM - Storytelling (all ages). 12:00 noon - Earth Gratitude Ceremony, followed by a movie-screening (Pre-teen/teen). 2:00 PM - Qi-Gong (energy & breath fitness)  (Teen/Adults). At 5:00 PM a talk entitled “The Elder’s Speak” by Adam Yellowbird Dearmon, founder of Institute for Cultural Awareness (ICA) and  preview of “Voices of Truth: Return of the Ancestors”. The Elder’s event is also hosted by the Kumaras Center, at 1616 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91506 and co-sponsored by Rocks & Runes, www.rocksandrunes.com and the Institute for Cultural Awareness, www.ica8.org.

More press articles about Miluka Rivera at www.milukarivera.com.

For more information and to RSVP please call 818-848-93333 or visit: www.Kumarasarts.com.