$129,000 in Community Advocacy Grants Awarded Across Louisiana By The…

Sixteen organizations across nine regions received funding

New Orleans, La. – July 9, 2015 –The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL), a program of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center and administered by the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), recently awarded $129,000 in Community Advocacy Grants (CAGs). In total, more than 16 Louisiana-based community organizations received from $3,000 to $12,000 each in one-year grant funding that began on July 1, 2015.

“Community Advocacy Grants are an important part of TFL’s efforts to counter the tobacco industry’s predatory marketing to young people, educate communities on the dangers of tobacco use and smoking, promote free cessation resources that will eventually lead to decreased tobacco use throughout Louisiana” said Tonia Moore, Associate Director for TFL. “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 and change community norms around tobacco use.”

The selected organizations include:

New Orleans Area:

Warren Easton Charter High School - $12,000

Delgado Community College - $3,000

Loyola University - $3,000

Dillard University - $3,000

Baton Rouge Area:

Face to Face Enrichment Center - $12,000

Baton Rouge AIDS Society - $12,000

Thibodaux Area:

Beacon Light of Houma - $12,000

South Central Louisiana Technical College - $3,000

Start Corporation - $12,000

L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College - $3,000

Lafayette Area: LSU-Eunice - $3,000

Lake Charles Area: SOWELA Technical Community College - $3,000

Alexandria Area: Arthur F. Smith Middle School - $12,000

Shreveport Area: Campti Field of Dreams - $12,000

Monroe Area: Delta Community Enhancement Program, Inc. - $12,000

Mandeville Area: ADAPT, Inc. - $12,000

According to the 50th Anniversary U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, more than 3,200 children under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette each day. Another 2,100 youth and young adults who are occasional smokers become daily smokers. Nearly nine out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18 and 98 percent start smoking by age 26. In Louisiana, an estimated 5.2 percent of middle school students and 12.6 percent of high school students smoke. Additionally, more than 1,200 people die daily due to smoking, and for every one of those deaths, at least two new youths or young adults become regular smokers.

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 (ages 11-17) and college students (ages 18-24) that are disproportionately impacted by tobacco and secondhand smoke.

For more information or to view the full application in detail, visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org and view the TFL CAG 2015-2016 RFA.

The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC)

The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans provides a structure in which Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - the state's two leading medical research institutions - will work together and coordinate cancer research development in preparation for recognition as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) - Designated Cancer Center. The consortium is funded through five cents of the tobacco excise tax, three cents to fund infrastructure and cancer research program development for the new Consortium and two cents for tobacco control and prevention programs. Conservative estimates indicate that approximately $10 million per year will be generated from this revenue source. For more information, visit www.lcrc.info

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Tobacco Control Program (LTCP) coordinate their efforts in tobacco prevention and control by providing statewide coordination of existing tobacco control initiatives, funding innovative community programs for tobacco control, offering services for people who are ready to quit and developing statewide media campaigns to help reduce the excessive burden of tobacco use on the state’s resources and improve the overall health and quality of life in Louisiana. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a 100-percent smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.

About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)

Founded in 1997, The Louisiana Public Health Institute’s mission is to promote and improve the health and quality of life in Louisiana through public-private partnering at the community, parish and state levels. By fostering collaborative endeavors in the areas of health information, public policy, applied research, and community capacity enhancement, LPHI works to develop community-oriented solutions that improve the health of the Louisiana population. For more information, visit www.lphi.org.

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