The Russian American Dental Association Awards Winners of the Kids for Kids Anti-Smoking Drawing Contest
New York, NY; April 23, 2009
The Russian American Dental Association (RADA) will hold an Awards Ceremony for the winners of the Kids for Kids Anti-Smoking Drawing Contest on June 14th, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. at the Louis Armstrong Classroom at Lincoln Center in Columbus Circle. RADA organized this ceremony to publicly announce and present before an audience the artists behind the drawings. The association will award 10 winners and choose 5 other drawings for honorable mention at the ceremony. The winning drawings have been published in the “Kids Say No” 32-page glossy magazine, free for everyone.
The contest is part of RADA’s National “Kids 4 Kids” Anti-Smoking Campaign, which is dedicated to educating children about the harmful effects of smoking. According to statistics, four out of five adults who smoke say they tried their first cigarette before they turned 18. Tobacco has taken a high toll on children with 350,265 kids becoming regular smokers in 2008, and out of which 116,755 will die prematurely from their addiction.
Using art as a form of expression, the association asked youngsters from grades K-8 to submit a drawing with an anti-smoking message that will be used to spread the word among their peers and influence other kids to live smoke-free lives. Smoking affects just about anyone and without prevention, many may fall into the habit. Through these drawings, RADA hoped to reach many eyes and get the public thinking about this issue. “Prevention is the key to reducing various health risks in our society; it is better to prevent than to treat a disease. We believe it is important to teach our children at an early age about the downfalls of smoking so that when they grow up they can choose to live smoke-free” says, Rada Sumareva, DDS.
Hundreds of drawings were submitted from students of P.S. 200, P.S.290, and I.S.223 among others, which made the selection process competitive. The best drawings were selected by a judging panel which consisted of, Konstantin and Svetlana Vais of the Interart Gallery in Chelsea. Finalists were announced on Kick Butts Day (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids), on March 25th and are now being honored on this day for their exceptional work and cooperation in making the campaign a success. The “Kids 4 Kids” drawing contest is a tool that can help encourage the public to think twice before grabbing a cigarette and help our children build a brighter future.
Russian American Dental Association (RADA), www.russiandentists.org is a national nonprofit organization with 501c (3) charity status. RADA is devoted to humanitarian and community work, as well as assisting dental professionals in their career goals, and providing education and research in the dental field. RADA sponsors and organizes charity events, holds medical professional conferences, offers Continuing Education courses and advises practitioners and organizations on the medical profession.
