Tobacco-Free Living awards four Lafayette organizations

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) recently awarded approximately $67,000 in Community Advocacy Grants (CAGs) to four Lafayette area community organizations. In total, 30 Louisiana-based community based organizations received approximately $480,000 in one-year grant funding that began on July 1, 2012.

"Community Advocacy Grants are a part of TFL's efforts to promote smoke-free policies and decrease other tobacco use in Lafayette and throughout Louisiana," said Kelley Anderson, Regional Coordinator, Lafayette, for The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco - Free Living. "The grant recipients received this funding in an effort to build the capacity of individuals and organizations to advocate for tobacco-free policies that protect all Louisianans." 

The selected organizations include:
 * Louisiana State University, Eunice - $17,000
* Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation - $15,000
* Tipitina's Foundation (Region 4) - $15,000
* Outreach Community Development Corp. - $20,000

According to the Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults report from the U.S. Surgeon General earlier this year, more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke cigarettes. In Louisiana alone, an estimated 15 percent of middle school and 23.6 percent of high school students smoke. Additionally, more than 1,200 people die daily due to smoking.

For every one of those deaths, at least two new youths or young adults become regular smokers, and 90 percent of these replacement smokers smoke their first cigarette before they turn age 18. In light of these increasingly startling statistics, TFL grantees will use their funding to support tobacco prevention and control programs that facilitate youth empowerment, promote advocacy, and engage special populations - including youth/college students, service industry employees, entertainers and bar/gaming facility employees - that are disproportionately impacted by tobacco and secondhand smoke.

Additionally, TFL recently launched its 2012 state-wide media campaign "_______ Stinks!" The campaign features an interactive concept targeted at creating a call-to-action for all Louisianans to advocate for stronger protections from secondhand smoke in bars and gaming facilities.