HomeMy WebLinkAboutProtectMontanaKids.orgEach year in Montana:
1,400 die prematurely.
MAR 5 2003
CITY OF LAUREL
$200 million in health ~hY~-EOsts.
2,000 kids become addicted.
175 die who never use the product.
Dear Friend:
Tobacco's toll on Montana is enormous. It is undeniable and it has reached crisis proportions.
That's why we need your help.
Some of our politicians still choose to do nothing and protect the profits of Big Tobacco
companies over our children's health.
The next three months are critical to protect our kids. From now until the end of April the
legislature will make key decisions about ending the death and disease that comes from
tobacco use.
Each year in Montana more than two thousand underage kids start using tobacco and another
one hundred and seventy five Montanans die from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke.
Giant tobacco corporations with dozens of marketing experts spend over $30 million per year
just in Montana marketing their product, yet the state of Montana spends less than 4% of that
amount on tobacco prevention.
Right now, the tobacco lobby and their legislative friends are attempting to take away the
fights of local communities to protect their citizens from the toxins in secondhand tobacco
smoke.
By making a special gift of $10, $25, $50, $100 or more to ProtectMontanaKids.org today,
you can make sure we have the resources necessary to protect our kids and help end this death
and disease.
· We have won solid victories - like the passage of [-146, this earmarks 32% of the
settlement with big tobacco for tobacco disease prevention.
· We have strong momentum for a tobacco tax increase that will help prevent underage
kids from ever trying tobacco.
(Over)
ProtectMontanaKids. org is a project of the
American Cancer Society'. American Heart Association
and the American Lung Association of the Northern Rockies.
· We have passed local policy to protect our right to breathe clean indoor air and beat
back attempts by the Legislature to overturn those local decisions.
But all of these gains and new victories are in jeopardy before the 2003 Montana legislature.
That is why we need your financial suooort. Our focus is on tobacco disease prevention and
your contribution will go toward helping ProtectMontanaKids.org advance its goals in
Montana.
Together we are making a difference, we are making tobacco an issue where politicians must
decide - are they for big tobacco or for our kids? The odds are against us because Big
Tobacco gives big contributions to our political leaders and their political organizations, and
they hire the most expensive, well-connected lobbyists.
Please help ProtectMontanaKids.ore by making a contribution of $10, $25, $50, $100 or
more so that we can end the death and disease that comes from tobacco use. Be sure to write
your check to ProtectMontanaKids.org.
Get involved in making tobacco disease prevention a reality for Montana by volunteering your
time to make a call or write a letter. For more information on tobacco and its impact on
Montana, log on to www. ProtectMontanaKids.org.
Sincerely,
Dave McAlpin, Project Director
ProtectMontanaKids.org.
Dave. McAlpin@ Cancer. org
P.S. Write your check to ProtectMontanaIGds.ore. Your contribution will be put to work
today to help protect our kids from big tobacco. Please consider your most generous gift and
do get involved - the next three months are critical to ending the death and disease that comes
from tobacco use.
ProtectMontanaKids. org is a project of the
American Cancer Society. American Heart Association
and the American Lung Association of the Northern Rockies.
Hope Rally
&
Action Day
Working For A
Tobacco Free Future
Monday, March 17th, 2003
Capitol Rotunda
Montana Legislatom:
Adequately fund a
Comprehensive
Tobacco Prevention
program.
ff Protect communities'
rights to prevent publ/c
& worker exposure to
secondhand tobacco
smoke.
'/ Increase the tax on
Cigarettes and other
tobacco products.
Tentative
Schedule of
Events
9:30 aml.-Check-
inffrlow-tu Lobby
training
Throughout Day-
Meetings w/
Legislators
Noon- Rally in
Rotunda &
presentanon of Wall of
Hope
1:00 pan.-Gift of
Don't forget to bring pictures of loved ones
affected by tobacco.
(To RSVP or for more information,
p/ease call Shelley Ranney,
American Cancer Society
@ 1-800-252-5470 option 3)
Protect Montana Kids is a coalition oL'
American C~ncer Society, ArneHcaa Heart Associabon.
& American Lung Association of the Northera Rocl~es
YES, I want to fight ~Big Tobacco and Protect
Our Kids.
Our kids need our help now. By contributing to ProtectMontanaKids.org you are helping to end the
death and disease that comes from tobacco use. Your support means more calls to Legislators, more
public education, and more action to defeat Big Tobacco.
N~. CH~RLE~ RODGE~:5
P ...... 10
L~qUR[L MT 5904A-OOJ. O
I am enclosing a contribution of
[]$100, []$75, []$50, []$25, []Other
Thank you, make your cheek out to ProtectMontanaKids.org
YES, I'd like to help in the following ways:
[] Contact legislators
[] Testify at the legislature
[] Submit a letter to the editor
Phone: Fax:
Best way to reach me:
[] Speak at local news conference
[] Use my name in an policy endorsment ad
E-mail:
Mark Your Calendar
MARCH 17th - HOPE RALLY & ACTION DAY - Helena
9:30 am - Lobbying Training & Legislalive Visits - Noon Rally