Oak Ridge, Tennessee, April 2019 – ASAP of Anderson is one of seven youth-serving groups in
Tennessee to receive a grant to help raise awareness about the benefits of smoke-free
environments and reduce secondhand smoke exposure throughout the state, which has one of the
highest smoking rates in the country. Members of ASAP’s Youth Ambassador Coalition are
leading educational efforts to build a smoke-free movement, including training peers and
organizing multiple events leading up to World No Tobacco Day, an annual campaign sponsored
by the World Health Organization to raise awareness on the deadly effects of tobacco and
secondhand smoke.
“We are truly excited to make our community a safe, healthy and productive environment,” said
Manshi Patel, Oak Ridge Youth Coalition President. “The health benefits of reducing
secondhand smoke exposure are invaluable.”
Upcoming events include a park clean up at Cedar Hill Park in Oak Ridge on April 17 th from 5-
7pm and a Tobacco-Free Movie Night in Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on May 4 th . The Star Wars:
Episode VII – The Force Awakens will be shown in celebration of the day. The event will begin
at 7pm with activities, games, and trivia followed by a costume contest before the movie begins
after dark at approximately 8:45pm with free popcorn, candy and drinks.
ASAP of Anderson received the “Clear the Air Tennessee” grant from Truth Initiative ® , the
nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of
the past. Tennessee is one of a group of states in “Tobacco Nation,” a region in the U.S. that
stretches from the upper Midwest to the South and has smoking rates that exceed not only the
national average, but that of many of the most tobacco-dependent countries in the world. It is
also one of the nearly two dozen U.S. states and territories not protected by comprehensive
smoke-free laws, which means more than 42 percent of the total population is unprotected.
Smoking remains permitted in adult-only (ages 21 and over) restaurants and bars in Tennessee.
ASAP of Anderson, Inc. — 101 S. Main Street, Suite 465, Clinton, TN 37716-3619 — 865.457.3007
Clean indoor air laws reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, which is a known carcinogen. In
addition to protection from secondhand smoke exposure, studies indicate that smoke-free homes
and workplaces encourage smokers to quit and reduce the number of cigarettes they consume per
day.
For more information about Clear the Air Tennessee, please contact LaDonna Ellis
at lellis@truthinitiative.org or (202) 454-5555. For information about the upcoming events in
Anderson County or on becoming an ASAP Ambassador, please contact Stacey Pratt at
Stacey@ASAPofAnderson.org or (865) 776-2291.
##
