Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids News
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Lawton-Ft. Sill SWAT of Lawton, OK As Youth Advocates of the Year
-Leadership in Fight Against Tobacco Recognized Nationally-
WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Members of the Lawton-Ft. Sill Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Team of Lawton, OK have been named Youth Advocates of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for their leadership in the fight against tobacco. Members of Lawton-Ft. Sill SWAT are being honored at a gala in the nation's capital on May 20 along with a national winner, international grant winner and four regional winners.
The Lawton-Ft. Sill SWAT Team, supported by the Tobacco Prevention Program at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, is fighting the tobacco industry through interactive community projects, educational trainings and policy advocacy. One of their most successful projects has been their annual legislative breakfasts. This year the group called on legislators to support both a tobacco-free park initiative and Oklahoma becoming smoke-free. Last December, the group created a tribute wall in a local mall where hundreds of people participated by dedicating a tile to those who have resisted tobacco, quit using tobacco or died from a tobacco-related illness. Most recently, the Lawton-Ft. Sill SWAT Team completed an extensive Kick Butts Day event that included an art exhibit, a testimonial wall and a What's In a Cigarette display.
More than 400 public health, political, civic and business leaders will attend the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' twelfth annual anniversary gala in Washington, D.C., to recognize these young leaders. The winners will receive educational scholarships and grants to continue their prevention efforts and serve as ambassadors for the Campaign.
"Members of the Lawton-Ft. Sill SWAT Team and other young leaders from across the nation are making great strides against youth tobacco addiction and their voices are being heard," said Matthew L. Myers, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president. "Every day, 1,000 kids in the United States become regular smokers and one-third of them will die prematurely from tobacco-caused disease. Almost 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before the age of 18. Youth are powerful allies in the fight to turn these trends around."
In Oklahoma, over 28 percent of high school students smoke, and 6,200 kids become daily smokers every year. Every year, tobacco use kills 5,800 residents and costs the state over $1 billion in health care bills. Nationally, tobacco use kills more than 400,000 people and costs the nation more than $96 billion in health care costs each year.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leader in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences in the United States and around the world. By changing public attitudes and public policies on tobacco, the Campaign strives to prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect everyone from secondhand smoke.
SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
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