Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Lily Kraft of Bridger, Mont., As West Region Youth Advocate of the Year

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May 13, 2015, 12:28 ET

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lily Kraft, 18, has been named the West Region Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for her leadership in the fight against tobacco. Lily will be honored at a gala in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 14.

Lily is the first high school student appointed to the Montana Tobacco Advisory Board, which advises the Montana Department of Public Health on administration of its Tobacco Use Prevention Program. When a state lawmaker tried to cut funding for the program, Lily sprang into action to preserve funding. She wrote letters to the editor, spoke at community meetings and met with legislators, the Lieutenant Governor and others to address the issue.

She also worked on a smoke-free parks initiative. When the Town Council initially opposed the proposal, Lily and her group persevered and offered to pay for and install signage, conduct cigarette butt cleanups at the town's six parks and provide education on secondhand smoke in these venues. The Mayor and Town Council voted unanimously to accept their offer.

"We are thrilled to honor Lily as our West Region Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Young leaders like Lily are changing minds and getting results – both by convincing their peers to reject tobacco and spurring elected officials to take action. With their help, we can make the next generation tobacco-free."

Over 400 public health, business, civic and political leaders will attend the gala to recognize Lily, three additional regional award winners, one national winner and one group winner. The winners will receive scholarships to continue their prevention efforts and will also serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 Americans and costing the nation about $170 billion in health care bills each year. Without strong action now, 5.6 million kids alive today will die prematurely from tobacco-caused disease, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

In Montana, tobacco use kills 1,600 people and costs the state $440 million in health care expenses each year. Currently, 15.2 percent of the state's high school students smoke.

Additional information about the youth award winners, gala and tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

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SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids