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Legacy Announces Winners of the 2010 Community Activist Award

11/17/2010

National Award Applauds Individuals Dedicated to Localized Tobacco Control Efforts

Washington, D.C. – Donald Reed Jr., of Welch, W.V., is the winner of the 2010 Community Activist Award, which is presented annually by Legacy, a nonprofit public health organization based in Washington, D.C. Each year, Legacy presents the Community Activist Award to recognize an exceptional individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to creating a tobacco-free world in his or her community.

Working with businesses, local and faith-based organizations, Reed has conducted grassroots smoking cessation work by educating and encouraging local residents to quit. Since 2003, Reed has raised more than $1 million in tobacco prevention funding for local and regional activities. In addition, he is committed to advocating for Clean Indoor Air (CIA) initiatives and the passage of several CIA regulations. Serving as the Regional Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for the Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention Coalition, Reed established one of the most powerful tobacco control coalitions in West Virginia.

“We are honored to be able to recognize individuals like Donald Reed Jr., who work tirelessly to champion tobacco-free communities,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy.

“I am extremely surprised and proud to have received the Community Activist Award this year,” Reed said. “Seeing firsthand the changes that result from pushing tobacco control practices has encouraged me to work harder and stay committed to tobacco prevention in my community, coalition and beyond.”

Honorable mention awards are being presented to four additional individuals who have also done outstanding work at the grassroots level to help build a world without tobacco.

“There are so many people who do outstanding work in tobacco prevention and we’re glad to have received an outpouring of nominees,” commented Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy. “This year we are excited to offer honorable mention awards to Naphtali Offen, Emma Torres, Nicole Villaluz and Teresa Walters. Each of these individuals represents the hard work and dedication that is needed to extend and save lives from the deadly toll of tobacco.”

Naphtali Offen: In 1991, he co-founded the Coalition of Lavender-Americans on Smoking and Health (CLASH) to mobilize the LGBT community to address tobacco-related issues and to build support among mainstream tobacco control advocates for such efforts. His work led to a nationwide movement. Currently, he is a researcher at the University of California San Francisco, where he has published work about tobacco industry targeting of the LGBT community.

Emma Torres: For more than 20 years, Emma has pioneered tobacco prevention and control in Yuma County, Arizona. Her leadership has spread to Latino/Hispanic populations in her community, as she was the first Director of Campesinos Sin Fronteras to offer the Latino/Hispanic population tobacco prevention resources.

Nicole Villaluz: Specializing in American Indian tobacco prevention initiatives, Nicole has made a huge impact in both Minnesota and Montana through advocacy planning and organizing culturally based and youth programs. She has passed one of the only two comprehensive commercial tobacco-free tribal policies in the nation. She has established relationships with 10 out of 11 Minnesota tribal nations who are interested in tobacco control and assisted five tribal nations in earning grants to further develop commercial tobacco-free tribal policies.

Teresa Walters: Starting in 1993, as a Drug Awareness volunteer, Teresa worked with the Safe and Drug Free Schools program at USD 253 to win approval for and initiate a smoke free school grounds policy, which became a model for other school districts in the state. She has worked in her home state of Kansas as a member of the Lyon County Tobacco Free Coalition, now Clean Air Emporia, helping with the advancement of clean air initiatives, not only in Emporia but also in other Kansas communities, as well as for the State of Kansas.

Legacy is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps American live longer, healthier lives. Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.legacyforhealth.org.

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Contact: Sarah Shank, 202-454-5561, sshank@legacyforhealth.org