Youth Empower Furry, Four-Legged Activists To Take A Stand Against Secondhand Smoke
DoSomething.org and truth® work with Katherine McNamara to give pets a voice in the effort to end smoking
NEW YORK, April 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cats and dogs are twice as likely to get cancer if their owner smokes. This is due to the animals' exposure to second- and thirdhand smoke – both of which are toxic to pets[1]. That's why DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change and truth, the nation's longest running and most successful youth smoking prevention campaign, have teamed up to give pets (and their owners) a voice in the movement to end smoking through Four-Legged Finishers.
The Four-Legged Finishers campaign uses this generations' love for their pets to help educate others about the effects of cigarette smoke on pet health. To participate, upload a photo of a favorite furry friend to DoSomething.org/finishers, and add a witty caption that shows how your pet feels about the fact that cigarette smoke negatively affects pet health. Participants who upload a photo and caption will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship from DoSomething.org. The top 12 photo and caption combinations will be selected to participate in a national meme contest. Votes cast online will determine the ultimate Four-Legged Finisher.
Katherine McNamara, the star of Freeform's hit show Shadowhunters has joined the movement and recorded a public service announcement to encourage her fans to give their pets a voice by becoming a "Finisher" and joining the movement to end smoking for good.
"My dog Sophie and I are excited to be a part DoSomething.org and truth's Four-Legged Finishers campaign to give pets a voice in the effort to end smoking," said Katherine McNamara. "Our furry friends deserve to live healthy, smoke-free lives and our generation has the power to finish smoking for good."
"Last summer, DoSomething.org and truth activated young people across the country to clean up more than 3.7 million cigarette butts through our GTFO campaign," said Aria Finger, CEO and Chief Old Person at DoSomething.org. "Our members are obsessed with their pets and we're thrilled to join forces with truth for another unique way to help young people finish smoking for good."
With the teen cigarette smoking rate currently at 7 percent, truth urges, "Let's treat our best friends like real best friends," empowering teens to 'Finish It' and end smoking for good if not for themselves, then for their pets. "#CATmageddon," first aired during the 2016 Grammy Awards broadcast and has already been viewed more than 33 million times. By tapping into pet mania, truth is rallying this generation of teens to end tobacco use for good. Four-Legged Finishers is another way for truth to continue calling attention to the impact of tobacco on our pets. These and other surprising impacts on the things teens care about are all featured for sharing on thetruth.com.
"The more attention we generate and the more young people we engage to help us finish the tobacco epidemic, the more lives – humans and pets – we can save," said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth campaign.
To view the public service announcement, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByCq8ks_U3Y
For more information on the campaign, visit DoSomething.org/finishers
About DoSomething.org
One of the largest global orgs for young people and social change, DoSomething.org's 5.2 million members in 130 countries tackle volunteer campaigns that impact every cause. Poverty. Discrimination. The environment. And everything else. Our promise: Any cause, anytime, anywhere.
About truth:
truth® is the most successful and longest running national youth smoking prevention campaigns. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth gives teens facts to make their own informed choices about tobacco use and inspires them to use their social influence and creativity in the fight against tobacco. The campaign is credited with preventing hundreds of thousands of teens from starting to smoke, and is working to make this the generation that ends smoking for good. To learn more, visit thetruth.com. truth is part of Truth Initiative, a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. To learn more about Truth Initiative's work speaking, seeking and spreading the truth about tobacco, visit truthinitiative.org.
[1] Oklahoma State University. "Secondhand Smoke Is A Health Threat To Pets." Science Daily 2007. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831123420.htm
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByCq8ks_U3Y
SOURCE DoSomething.org
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