The 2007 Youth Advocates of the Year

National Youth Advocate of the Year
Kathy Staats, Greendale, WI

Kathy Staats is an "out of the box" thinker. Her extraordinary confidence allows her to clearly express her ideas to peers, media and adults alike. Kathy is currently a senior at Greendale High School where she has is active in theatre and marching band, in addition to her work with tobacco control groups. She is known for her initiative, creative ideas and willingness to take action.

Kathy got involved in tobacco control through her local T.A.T.U. (Teens Against Tobacco Use) chapter when she was a freshman and now serves on the Youth Board of Directors for FACT (Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco) and the Regional Leadership Board of Peers With Impact. She attended the E-Forum at the 2005 National Conference on Tobacco and Health where she helped plan and execute a demonstration in the heart of downtown Chicago. The event included displaying 1,200 pairs of shoes symbolizing the number of people who die each day in the United States as a result of a tobacco-related disease. Kathy also worked on Madison's smoke-free ordinance and has been actively supporting Governor Doyle's proposition to raise the cigarette tax in Wisconsin.

In 2006, Kathy played a key role as planner and facilitator for the Wisconsin statewide summit known as "FACT Boot Camp," an event that left the 150 adult and youth participants inspired and ready to act. Kathy has been seen throughout the state and all over the country through her appearance in a commercial promoting FACT and exposing the lies of big tobacco. This commercial ran on popular Milwaukee radio stations, as a movie trailer across the state on major television networks, including during the Billboard Music Awards and the season premieres of "24" and "Lost." The commercial has educated many young people about tobacco and has generated over 1,100 new members for FACT.

International Grant Winner
Jolie Yang, Centerville, OH

Jolie Yang is a remarkable teen who has demonstrated an ability to be resourceful and well-spoken about tobacco control. In addition to being a member of AAYAT (Asian American Youth Against Tobacco) for four years, she also sought out Ignite, founded her local Centerville chapter of the group and became the National Secretary. Additionally, Jolie worked diligently with the American Cancer Society to collect signatures, helping to pass the legislation that has made Ohio smoke-free.

After seeing a fellow YAYA travel to China for tobacco prevention work, Jolie was inspired to try international work herself. She has traveled to Taiwan twice of her own volition to educate elementary and high school students about the dangers of smoking. She encouraged the students she met there to stop smoking and to push for change within their country. Jolie researched social attitudes toward smokers and the tobacco industry in Taiwan by collecting responses to a survey that she wrote. She also developed a PowerPoint presentation on tobacco facts and how Big Tobacco markets its products there. She still stays in contact with students in Taiwan who are starting an anti-tobacco group at their school.

Jolie's future plans include more trips to Taiwan to help the students she met organize their movement, as well as inspiring her fellow teens in the United States to push for FDA regulation of tobacco.

Group Winner
Question Why, Central-East Region, Durham, NC

Question Why is a youth organization that doesn't take no for an answer. Through creative events, media outreach, online activism, and working with other organizations, they have become one of the most vibrant and effective youth groups in the nation. Though unable to actively lobby for legislation, they have continually found creative ways to better their community, such as reaching out to restaurant owners on an individual basis about going smoke-free.

The youth in the organization offer Tobacco 101, a basic course for educating youth about tobacco companies, health effects, and tobacco products and ingredients. They have recently expanded to offer Tobacco 202, to explore the political, cultural, historical and economic impacts of tobacco. They have partnered with ALE (Alcohol Law Enforcement) to create a merchant education program for the Red Flag campaign to lower youth access to tobacco products. Additionally, this group helped plan a statewide teen summit, with nearly 300 attendees. Question Why has trained and mobilized youth all over North Carolina to become effective tobacco prevention advocates.

For Kick Butts Day this year, Question Why worked with a local bowling alley to set up "TKO: Pinning Down Tobacco." This event featured youth putting on sumo suits and wrestling with "Big Tobacco." Meanwhile, youth learned about the dangers of smoking, how they can advocate for change and inspire others along the way.

The group is also skilled at working with the media. Whether it be writing letters to the editor, issuing press releases or speaking on camera, these youth are confident in their abilities and anxious to help spread the tobacco control message.

East Regional Youth Advocate of the Year
Kyle Peavley, Trenton, OH

Kyle Peavley is a driven and successful tobacco control advocate who recently founded an Ignite Chapter in Butler County, Ohio, which is one of the fastest growing chapters. Additionally, Kyle has held four annual Smoke Free Dining Days in his county and was actively involved with the Smoke-Free Ohio initiative, working to distribute nearly 420,000 fliers. He is now hard at work passing out enforcement kits about the new law.

He has also been at the forefront of national tobacco issues. In 2006, Kyle met with members of the Ohio delegation in Washington, DC about FDA regulation and helped organize a demonstration in Colorado to bring awareness to the issue. Kyle also successfully obtained earned media in four major papers by organizing a protest at the district office of Congressman John Boehner, an opponent of FDA regulation.

Kyle's future plans include exposing violators of smoke-free laws in Ohio and educating others about secondhand smoke and working to pass FDA regulation of tobacco. He would also like to gain experience working on international tobacco control.

South Regional Youth Advocate of the Year
Anna Elizabeth Butler, Matthews, NC

Anna is a self-motivated, energetic young lady who brightens a room with her smile. She has participated on the planning committee of both regional and state events enabling her to serve as the master of ceremonies at the state S.W.A.T. summit.

Anna's experiences include working with fellow TRU (Tobacco Realty Unfiltered) members to create educational brochures, a web site and scripts for televised public service announcements. However, her true passion lies in working to educate others one-on-one. She is currently spearheading GASP (Girls Advocating for Smoke-free Pregnancies), an outreach group to help educate pregnant teens about the dangers of smoking while pregnant.

She has also been active at the local and state level, passionately speaking to her county commissioners and city council to pass a smoke-free ordinance for Mecklenburg Country and the city of Charlotte, as well as to the state legislature to urge them to give communities local control to pass smoke-free ordinances. The slow pace of politics has been no match for Anna though, as she has convinced a number of local restaurants to voluntarily go smoke-free.

Central Regional Youth Advocate of the Year
Kristy Adelina Ordoñez , Ardmore, OK

Kristy Ordoñez has served as president of her local anti-tobacco movement S.W.A.T. (Students Working Against Tobacco) for two years. She is also on the planning committee for the state S.W.A.T. summit where she will also be presenting.

Kristy was instrumental in making her school campus smoke-free, as well as lobbying for a city ordinance to ban indoor smoking. She wrote personal letters to each city commissioner and "blew them away" during a presentation to the Ardmore city commission. Kristy is active in efforts to make outdoor activities, such as bull riding events and the skate park, tobacco free. Kristy has also proven adept in reaching out to the media, writing letters to editors of her local newspapers, giving television interviews and recording public service announcements for local radio stations.

Kristy was inspired to join the tobacco control movement after losing one grandfather to lung cancer and watching the other live with one lung due to tobacco use. Though the majority of her work has been at the local and state level, Kristy is eager to work on the national stage.

West Regional Youth Advocate of the Year
Whitney Rutt, Sandy, UT

Whitney is an impassioned advocate who has shown great leadership skills over the past two years serving as the vice-president and now president of the Phoenix Alliance. She thinks things through, is a good listener and is always eager to learn new things. Whitney's work produces impressive results and she often targets her outreach in a way that reaches individuals on a personal level.

Whitney understands the importance of passing policies that will impact positively on public health. Since getting involved in tobacco control Whitney has worked on issues ranging from smoking in the movies to advocating for smoke-free bars and clubs to spreading the message about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Whitney had the opportunity to meet with her members of Congress regarding FDA regulation last summer and has since made FDA regulation her primary initiative. Currently, Whitney and the Phoenix Alliance are leading the charge to get 5,000 signatures from Utah residents who support FDA regulation.