Champions of the 70

All of the Miss Teen titleholders that I have met have always been pretty well-grounded in reality.

Which is why I’m always so happy to use my title to promote Reality Check.

Blog frequenters might remember that Reality Check is a youth-led organization of the New York Tobacco Control Program. Reality Check Youth try to educate teens and the public about the hazards of tobacco, and the dangerous influence of Big Tobacco companies. My work with Reality Check is what first got me involved with other aspects of the Tobacco Control Program, including those legislative visits and the “Stop Targeting Kids” panel discussion as of late.

Today, March 23rd, I was able to support others in New York who are fighting Big Tobacco.

Back in February, I was put in touch with Laura Waterhouse, a Reality Check coordinator in Albany. She invited me to be a part of an awards ceremony they were calling “Champions of the 70”. The “70” refers to the 70 New Yorkers who die each day from a tobacco related illness. Their “champions” are the political leaders who support tobacco-control programs and legislation.

So this morning, Dad and I made the 4 and a half hour drive to Albany. I may have had to wake up at 4:30 am on a Tuesday, but the day’s events would definitely prove to be worth it.

Around 11, we made it to the West Capital Park, right outside of the Capitol Building. It was a beautiful location for the ceremony/rally, what with the Capitol hovering above us. It would have been even more beautiful had it not been New York in March. It didn’t snow (Thank goodness.), but the wind and rain froze my toes halfway through the ceremony! I’m glad I received the proper training for this sort of outdoor event while in St. Paul, Minnesota last January. After Minnesota in January, you can pretty much handle anything.

At the park, I met Laura for the first time, along with the six other Reality Check representatives who would be presenting awards alongside me onstage. Shannon, Natalie, Aymee, Amanda, Ashley, and Liv were all such wonderfully dedicated girls. I was particularly impressed by Liv Clandorf, whose work with Reality Check has taken her all the way to Mumbai, India (twice!) and allowed her to be named the International Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (In a moment of “what-a-small-world-ness”, Amyee Morrison, who stood next to me for the entire ceremony, told me that she is very good friends with Katie Ball…my first runner-up at Miss Teen of New York! I hope to see both girls at Miss Teen of New York this summer! To request more information on all of our summer programs, register here.)

After a quick run-through of the ceremony, it was soon time to get everything rolling! Despite the already mentioned unfortunate weather, the park was still pretty filled with Reality Check Youth from across the state, as well as Albany officials. I’ve been working with Reality Check for 3 years, but I have never seen so many RC volunteers in one area. To go along with the theme of “70”, RC volunteers wore tie-dyed shirts and the loudspeakers played disco music. All teens in attendance were so enthusiastic, and I was just so proud of my fellow RC members.

Various clips from the ceremony can be viewed below.

(If it looks like I'm pausing, or drawing out words at all, it's because I was shivering.)




Of the six leaders being congratulated on being “Champions of the 70”, I presented the award to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. I’ve seen Assemblyman Hoyt speak at a number of Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition events in the past, but this was the first time I got to formally meet him. Other leaders honored included Senator Leibell, Assemblywoman Galef, Mayor King of Gloversville, and the New York Attorney General's Office.The ceremony ended with a very fitting playing of “We Are the Champions”.

We then headed across the street to have lunch at the Legislative Building. Being the politics-nerd that I am, I was pretty excited to be at the office building for all of the New York Assembly members. Following lunch, I went around with other Reality Check members to hand out Reality Check information packets to various offices. Everyone seemed to recognize our tie-dye shirts from the ceremony earlier, and they were very happy to hear about the work we were doing.

I may have lived in New York all of my life, but I had never been to the capitol before today! I was actually pretty shocked at what a beautiful city it was. Since it was a first-time visit for me and my dad, Laura and Liv agreed to accompany us on a tour of the Capitol Building. The building, both its exterior and interior, is overwhelming. People outside of New York will be surprised to learn that the New York State Capitol Building cost twice as much to build as the United States Capitol Building. (New Yorkers will have no difficulty believing this.) Built from 1867 to 1899, it’s a blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and it really is beautiful.

Following the tour, we bid farewell to Laura and Liv, and began our journey back home.

To get your own reality check, visit Reality Check's website.