Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Vinayak Menon of Suwanee, GA, as Youth Advocate of the Year

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vinayak Menon, of Suwanee, GA, has been named a Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Vinayak will be honored on September 29, 2021, for his leadership in the fight against tobacco at the Tobacco-Free Kids' annual Youth Advocates of the Year Awards celebration, which is being held virtually this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The event will be livestreamed at tfk.org/awards at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Vinayak developed a passion for tobacco control after seeing too many peers falling victim to Big Tobacco's relentless targeting. He was eager to learn more about the e-cigarette epidemic impacting his classmates and joined a school club, where he quickly rose to a leadership position.

Seeking to take his advocacy work beyond his school walls, he hosted a community-wide town hall, "2021 Facts and Strategies Concerning Substance Use One Year into the Pandemic." The event brought together members of his community to discuss mental health, substance use and prevention and the best ways to protect kids from a lifetime of addiction. Vinayak also has advocated at the national level, speaking with policymakers in Washington, D.C. to support federal legislation to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products.

"We are thrilled to honor Vinayak as a Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Vinayak leverages his voice to make a difference for his community, and his confidence and passion for advocacy make him an invaluable advocate. Young advocates like Vinayak are bravely standing up to the tobacco industry and leading the way to the first tobacco-free generation."

Every year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids honors a National Youth Advocate of the Year, four Individual Youth Advocates of the Year and a Group Youth Advocate of the Year. The winners receive scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and 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 $226.7 billion in health care bills each year. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year.

In Georgia, tobacco use claims 11,700 lives and costs $3.18 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 4% of Georgia's high school students smoke cigarettes and 17% use e-cigarettes.

Additional information about the youth award winners can be found at tfk.org/awards and more resources and information about tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids