Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Spencer Flanders of Carson City, Nev., As National Youth Advocate of the Year

News provided by

May 13, 2015, 12:51 ET

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Spencer Flanders, 16, has been named the National Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for his leadership in the fight against tobacco. Spencer will be honored at a gala in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 14.

Spencer, of Carson City, Nev., just finished his junior year at Douglas High School. He has been a leader in working to reduce tobacco use in his community for years and has testified before the state legislature numerous times on tobacco-related issues. Spencer was motivated to get involved in the fight against tobacco after learning how the tobacco industry targets kids and other vulnerable populations.

Spencer recently spearheaded a youth advocacy summit that trained 40 teens about the legislative process, tobacco control and social change. He also created the Statewide Youth Coalition, Nevada's first youth group advocating for public policies to reduce tobacco use. Spencer and the youth coalition have advocated for bills to increase the cigarette tax, tax e-cigarettes and prohibit smoking in cars with children. He also got his local county to adopt a smoke-free parks policy.

"We are thrilled to honor Spencer as our National Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Young leaders like Spencer 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 Spencer, four regional award winners 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 Nevada, tobacco use kills 4,100 people and costs the state $1.1 billion in health care expenses each year. Currently, 10.3 percent of the state's high school students smoke.

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

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080918/CFTFKLOGO

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids