LOS ANGELES, CA AND WASHINGTON, DC --- $5 Million Commitment for New Smoking Cessation Initiative


The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and American Legacy Foundation have committed $5 million dollars to a new partnership to help educate people about the many health risks associated with smoking and to provide direct services to assist people who struggle to quit.

The partnership's goal is to provide aggressive cessation services and tools to increase the number of people who attempt to quit; increase the number of successful quit attempts; and to decrease smoking rates.

"We are delighted that such a respected and socially active organization as the Entertainment Industry Foundation is joining us in our efforts to raise awareness about the impact smoking has on our lives and our health," said Dr. Cheryl Healton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Legacy Foundation. "Collectively, we have a great opportunity to advance our goal to build a world where people reject smoking and anyone can quit."

There are three major components of this initiative:
1. A national advertising campaign, entitled "Portraits", featuring EIF celebrity ambassadors who have personally been affected, or have seen family and friends impacted, by addiction or tobacco-related disease. Research shows that when friends and family are there to offer their support, smokers are more likely to quit. Brooke Shields, Jessica Simpson and Cicely Tyson are among the first celebrities to join this high-profile campaign. The advertisements link consumers to a national information line that directs callers to cessation information in their area. Callers also receive educational information on smoking and health.

2. The Entertainment Industry Foundation and American Legacy Foundation have been working in partnership with the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, internationally renowned for its cardiovascular programs and services, to create state-of-the-art clinical smoking cessation services that will be available to people in Southern California.

3. The partnership will be developing smoking cessation services specifically aimed to help entertainment industry employees at the workplace. The Entertainment Industry Foundation and American Legacy Foundation hope to roll out a pilot program later this year.

"The American Legacy Foundation has already implemented some extraordinary programs to help aid people in their efforts to quit smoking," says Lisa Paulsen, President and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "We our proud to bring our entertainment industry resources to this exciting initiative."

The first elements of this initiative falls under the auspices of a new American Legacy Foundation program, "Circle of Friends: Uniting to Be Smoke-Free." Circle of Friends is a new grassroots movement to show support for women struggling with nicotine addiction, and to encourage friends and loved ones to support smokers in their quit attempts. Components of the program include an information line (1-800-243-7000), a Website (www.join-the-circle.org), the "Portraits" advertising campaign, a $1 million grants program, and partnership opportunities.

American Legacy Foundation
The American Legacy Foundation is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, DC, the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use through grants, technical assistance and training, youth activism, strategic partnerships, counter-marketing and grass roots marketing campaigns, public relations, and outreach to populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco. The foundation's national<