Patrick Reynolds to speak at free community lecture 03/04/2013
Tift Regional Medical Center and the TRMC Foundation will be hosting Patrick Reynolds as he speaks to groups in the area about the dangers of tobacco use. Reynolds, grandson of tobacco company founder R.J. Reynolds, is an outspoken opponent of Big Tobacco, and is Executive Director of the Foundation for a Smoke-free America. There will be a free community lecture entitled “Tobacco Wars: The Battle for a Smoke-free Society” held on March 19 at 6 p.m. at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. To register, please call (229) 353-6316 or visit the Calendar of Events at www.tiftregional.com.
Reynolds will also speak to students at J.T. Reddick Middle School in Tifton and Ben Hill Middle School in Fitzgerald while in the area.
Reynolds' advocacy work and motivational talks to youth and adults have made him a well-known and respected champion of a smoke-free society. He has helped remind people of the dangers of smoking.
Patrick watched his father, R.J. Reynolds, Jr., his oldest brother R.J. Reynolds III, and other members of his family die from cigarette-induced emphysema and lung cancer. Concerned about the mounting health evidence, he made the decision to speak out against the industry his family helped build.
Patrick spoke out publicly at a Congressional hearing in favor of a ban on all tobacco advertising. Former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop commented in 2003, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smoke-free America. His testimony is invaluable to our society."
Mr. Reynolds serves as Executive Director of the Foundation for a Smoke-free America, a nonprofit group he founded in 1989. Its mission is to motivate youth to stay tobacco free, and to empower smokers to quit successfully.
The community lecture is free, but seating is limited, so please register by calling (229) 353-6316 or visiting the Calendar of Events at www.tiftregional.com.
