Project 1200 display and national Kick Butts Day news conference.

Now in its 11th year, Kick Butts Day is a national event that calls attention to the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. The Project 1200 display is a Kick Butts Day effort across 20 major cities to raise awareness about the 1,200 people that die each day due to tobacco use.

The Fashion Show Mall display will incorporate 1,200 empty pairs of shoes, with a personal story, quote or fact attached to each. Above the shoes, commercials highlighting the health consequences of tobacco use will air on large television screens above the stage.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing nearly 450,000 people each year – more than alcohol, illicit drugs, homicide, suicide, car accidents and AIDS combined. Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke can cause a number of health problems, such as cancer, and it can aggravate existing conditions like asthma, allergies and heart disease.

News conference speakers:

Dr. Lawrence Sands
Director of Community Health
Southern Nevada Health District

Cindy Roragen
Executive Director
Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition

Larry Matheis
Executive Director
Nevada State Medical Society

Princess Browne
Student
XPOZ Coalition (pronounced “expose”)