American Cancer Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2003
CONTACT: Mary Coyne, 374-5333

Harrington Foundation Assists Tobacco Initiative with Grant

The Harrington Foundation approved a grant for $22,866 to the Texas Division of the American Cancer Society to assist with the media portion of the Tobacco Free Amarillo project. The grant will purchase broadcast and artwork rights to anti-tobacco materials for the mass media campaign that is being conducted in Amarillo and Potter County.

Tobacco Free Amarillo is a comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program funded by the Amarillo Hospital District from tobacco settlement money. The American Cancer Society, Texas Division, is fiscal agent for Tobacco Free Amarillo.

“This grant truly helps stretch the media campaign into a high-impact program,” said Mary Coyne, who is in charge of media for Tobacco Free Amarillo. "Having these funds from the Harrington Foundation means that we won't need to use the $22,866 from the Amarillo Hospital District grant to purchase television and radio commercials and billboard art. Because of this, we can use that $22,866 of Amarillo Hospital District funding to purchase broadcast time and billboard space.

"The Amarillo media – television, radio and outdoor companies -- have been very generous in giving this public service campaign 100 percent bonuses of time and space," she said. "The net effect is that the Harrington Foundation's investment of $22,866 will allow the Tobacco Free Amarillo project to secure an additional $45,732 in media exposure.

"A media campaign at this level has been proven by the Texas Department of Health to be most effective in reducing tobacco use among youth and adults," Coyne said.

The Amarillo Area Foundation made a similar grant to Tobacco Free Amarillo last year, the first year of operation. Results from the campaign’s first year showed a 54% decrease in initial tobacco use by 6th graders and a 12.5% reduction in smoking by high school students.

“The Foundation does not typically fund multiyear projects, but the results of this campaign during the first year seemed promising,” said Jim Allison, President and CEO of the Amarillo Area Foundation. “We hope that this effort will lead to behavioral changes in a substantial sector of the population, and we plan to follow results over the long term.”

Tobacco Free Amarillo activities involve the community, schools, media, cessation, law enforcement and evaluation and are carried out by about 30 partner organizations throughout the community. For more information, visit the Tobacco Free Amarillo Web site at TFreeAmarillo.com or call Amy McKinley, project director, at (806) 353-4306.

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