Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Lilith Breazeale of Adair, OK as a 2023 Youth Advocate of the Year
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a national advocacy group, recently recognized Lilith Breazeale of Adair, Oklahoma as a 2023 Youth Advocate of the Year. Breazeale was honored on May 18 at the 2023 Youth Advocates of the Year Awards celebration in Washington D.C. for her efforts in the fight for a tobacco-free future.
Breazeale is a member of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a statewide youth-led health initiative funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). YAHL is a part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative.
Breazeale watched kids she used to play tag with become addicted to e-cigarettes and other tobacco products and felt drawn to get involved in advocacy. She quickly learned that Oklahoma’s preemption law prevented local communities from passing tobacco prevention policies to protect kids. Undeterred, she collected data throughout her community to demonstrate strong support to remove preemption and implement tobacco prevention laws. She presented the findings to several legislators in March.
Breazeale continues this work today and strives to make her peers feel welcome in joining her. Whether it’s using social media or connecting with students at events, she is always using creativity and compassion to make a difference.
“We are thrilled to honor Lilith Breazeale as one of our Youth Advocates of the Year,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “She is a natural leader and an exceptional young advocate who we are grateful to have in the fight for a tobacco-free generation.”
Every year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids honors a Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year, four Individual Youth Advocates of the Year and one Group Youth Advocates of the Year award. The winners receive scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“Oklahomans should be proud of Lilith and her peers in Youth Action for Health Leadership,” said Julie Bisbee, executive director of TSET. “This is a tremendous national honor, and it speaks to the commitment of young Oklahomans like Lilith to leadership, health and service in the community.”
Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans annually and costing the nation $241 billion in annual smoking health care costs. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year.
In Oklahoma, tobacco use claims 7,500 lives and costs the state $1.88 billion in health care each year. Currently, 4% of Oklahoma high school students smoke cigarettes, and 21.7% use e-cigarettes.
Additional information about the event and awardees can be found at tfk.org/awards. A recording of the event can also be found on this page.
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The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. By providing leadership to local coalitions and initiatives across the state, TSET is cultivating innovative and life-changing research while working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the health of all Oklahomans. To learn more, visit Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
The TSET Healthy Youth Initiative empowers Oklahoma youth to improve health outcomes for themselves and future generations. The initiative includes statewide public health education messaging, a youth-led advocacy program and character-building to reduce tobacco use and obesity. The initiative also gives parents resources to support their children in maintaining or developing healthy habits for a lifetime. Visit TSETHealthyYouth.com to learn more.