WASHINGTON, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- truth®, the nation's longest running and most successful youth smoking prevention campaign, is heading on tour this summer with more than 100 stops at theme parks, sporting events and music festivals and a singular message to young people: let's be the generation to "Finish It" and end tobacco use for good.
Two crews of truth "tour riders" from communities around the country will hit the road from June through September and connect with more than one million young people. At each tour stop, tour riders arm youth with facts about tobacco and inspire them to use their creativity and social influence to rally a grassroots army of "Finishers."
"I always enjoyed visiting the truth truck at concerts when I was younger and it's what inspired me to want to become a tour rider myself," said Cody Griswold, a truth tour rider from Stroudsburg, PA. "Now I'm the one out there every day sharing my knowledge about tobacco and saving lives."
Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. While the teen smoking rate declined to just eight percent last year, Big Tobacco hasn't gone away and the fight to end tobacco use is far from over. New tobacco products like hookah and flavored cigars are, by most measures, gaining popularity among youth.
The 2015 truth tour will include stops on the Vans Warped Tour and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival schedule as well as at Six Flags theme parks, the Vans East Coast Surfing Championships, the Mad Decent Block Parties, the U.S. Open of Surfing, and Vans Brooklyn House Parties. The full schedule for the tour is available at: thetruth.com/events
Tour stops feature the iconic orange "truth truck" which is rigged with a DJ booth and dance floor creating a truth "zone" offering:
Games, music, contests and giveaways, allowing truth tour riders to discuss tobacco issues with teens in an honest and entertaining way.
Social media and shout-outs that encourage teens to share information with their friends.
truth-branded "merch" giveaways, including: t-shirts, hats, socks and skateboard decks.
"We're excited to be back on the road for our 15th summer," said Eric Asche, Chief Marketing Officer for the truth campaign. "It's a way for us to reach a broad audience and help them carry forward life saving messages about health and the effects of tobacco use."
To spark conversations about tobacco, truth launched the Finish It campaign in August 2014. The 2015 summer tour gives truth the opportunity to bring the Finish It message directly to teens across the country. Last summer the truth tour reached more than 1.7 million teens nationwide.
truth TOUR RIDERS 2015
Vans Warped Tour Riders: The Vans Warped Tour is an annual summer music festival featuring upcoming bands as well as more well-known rock and punk acts. 2015 tour riders on the Vans Warped Tour include:
Vans Warped Tour Riders
Hometown
Personal Details
Felix Lamorena
(Tour Manager)
Los Angeles, CA
Longtime truth tour rider and manager, 2015 is his 5th year with truth.
Daniella Sloane
(Assistant Tour Manager)
Philadelphia, PA
truth tour veteran and former smoker. Attended Dartmouth College.
Brittney Overcamp
San Jose, CA
Returning truth tour rider. Brittney is a trained dancer who worked as an event promoter during high school and college.
Shakon Fleming
Atlanta, GA
Returning for his second year, Shakon loves fashion and music, and even released a collection of his own branded jogging pants.
Natasha Miami
New York, NY
Audience producer and a pop culture enthusiast.
Andrew Ferrer
Plano, IL
YouTube vlogger that attended Loyola University Chicago and likes to sing.
Angela Ying
Irvine, CA
Public Health major at Brigham Young University, works for the American Red Cross.
Eric Lupardi
Roselle Park, NJ
Former smoker with a passion for music.
DJ J.Dayz
Brooklyn, NY
Veteran truth tour DJ.
"This is my fifth year traveling with truth. I'm excited to hit the road with the team this summer because we get to bring truth directly to teens," said Felix Lamorena, truth crew Manager. "It's not uncommon for teenagers and young adults to openly share that tobacco is the reason why a person in their family is sick or even deceased. Anecdotes like these really drive home the importance of the campaign and it's vital to continue the conversation so that those unfortunate stories become a thing of the past."
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Tour Riders: The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, now in its eighth year, is a the largest touring hard rock and heavy metal festival in North America. This year's legendary headliner on the Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage is five-time-nominated, two-time Grammy winning band Slayer. Additional Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage performing artists include King Diamond, HELLYEAH, and The Devil Wears Prada. The Victory Records Stage will feature headliner Whitechapel as well as Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her To The Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice. 2015 tour riders on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival schedule include:
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Riders
Hometown
Personal Details
Eddie Contreras
(Tour Manager)
Bronx, NY
Began as a truth tour rider in 2009 and became a truth tour manager in 2012. When not on the road, he edits and produces digital content for the truth tour.
Meagan Henderson
Rice, TX
Studied Mass Communication at Texas State University-San Marcos.
Nicole Stephens
Miami, FL
Recent graduate of the University of San Francisco, Nicole is a music photographer.
Ariana Nasseri
Potomac, MD
Film Major at Wesleyan University with a passion for creating and editing videos.
Suliman Chillis
Atlanta, GA
Currently a Marketing Director for a hip-hop festival and conference. He is passionate about the creativity of his generation.
Josh Barna
St. Louis, MO
Returning truth tour rider. Graduate of Truman State University with a degree in Journalism and worked in adolescent drug rehab helping teens.
Alyssa Wisser
Slatington, PA
Photographer, YouTube video creator, Blogger and Social Media expert.
Cody Griswold
Stroudsburg, PA
Returning for his third year, Cody DJs at clubs and has his own line of custom-designed jewelry.
"This will be my seventh summer on tour and as a tour manager I have the unique opportunity to show our new riders the direct impact they can have on the teens and youth of this generation," said Eddie Contreras, truth tour Manager.
About truth truth® is the most successful and one of the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth gives teens facts and information about the tobacco industry and its products, allowing them to make their own informed choices about tobacco use. Research-proven as an effective public health intervention, the campaign is credited with keeping hundreds of thousands of teens from starting to smoke. To learn more, visit www.thetruth.com. truth is directed and funded by Legacy, a national public health foundation located in Washington, D.C. Legacy was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy's life-saving programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org.
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