Reality Check to Host World No Tobacco Day at Crossgates

Youth and adults are invited to Crossgates Mall in the Albany suburb of Westmere, New York on Saturday, June 1, 2019 to play “Tobacco Trouble” – an interactive, life-sized board game hosted by Reality Check youth from the greater capital region.  Reality Check youth will observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) by educating community members about tobacco marketing tactics, youth tobacco use, and the benefits of tobacco-free outdoor areas.  “Tobacco Trouble”, and other educational activities, will be set up adjacent to Lucky Strike Social from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each individual who plays “Tobacco Trouble” will qualify to win a $25 Lucky Strikes coupon towards bowling and shoes. 

Local Reality Check youth participating in the World No Tobacco Day activities at Crossgates include Jasmine Neill and Ava Valetutto from Sharon Springs Central School as well as Gabe Oakley, Zachary Smoot, Lana Rockwell and Arianna Mosenson from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School. Danielle Viscosi, a junior at UAlbany and a Reality Check alumnus from Cherry Valley, will share her experiences with tobacco-free advocacy in the form of a workshop for current Reality Check youth. Since 2001, Reality Check youth have been working across New York State to expose the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry, to produce change in local communities, to show youth that they are more than just replacement smokers, and to empower youth to become leaders in their communities.  

Crossgates became a tobacco-free property on World No Tobacco Day, May 31, in 2012. 

Every year, on May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) marks “World No Tobacco Day” (WNTD) highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. WNTD 2019 is focusing on the multiple ways that exposure to tobacco negatively affects the health of people’s lungs worldwide.