Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Brooklyn Larimore of Bellevue, Neb., As Youth Advocate of the Year

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Brooklyn Larimore, 18, of Bellevue, Neb., has been named a Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Brooklyn was honored for her leadership in the fight against tobacco last night in Washington, D.C.

Brooklyn pushes for local and state policies that reduce tobacco use, such as making Omaha parks tobacco-free and raising the tobacco sale age to 21 in Nebraska. As a two-time National Youth Ambassador with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Brooklyn has also urged members of Congress from Nebraska to support strong FDA regulation of e-cigarettes and cigars. A senior at Bellevue East High School, Brooklyn will attend the University of Nebraska Omaha.

"We are thrilled to honor Brooklyn Larimore as a Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Young leaders like Brooklyn are standing up to the tobacco industry, inspiring their peers to be tobacco-free and encouraging elected officials to take action. They are helping create the first tobacco-free generation."

Over 400 public health, business, civic and political leaders attended the Youth Advocates of the Year awards ceremony to recognize Brooklyn and other youth advocates from across the country. The winners received scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and will serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans and costing the nation $170 billion in health care bills each year. Tobacco kills 7 million people worldwide each year.

In Nebraska, tobacco use claims 2,500 lives and costs $795 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 13.3 percent of Nebraska's high school students smoke and 22.3 percent use e-cigarettes.

Additional information about the youth award winners and the toll of tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids