December 30, 2002

Contact:
Andy Weisser, (818) 703-6444
aweisser@earthlink.net
http://www.californialung.org
or your local American Lung Association at
(800) LUNG-USA.

Carol Burnett Promotes American Lung Association’s Free Online Smoking Cessation Program, Just in Time for New Year’s Resolutions

--Production Company Angelsmith Donates Entire Campaign

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Monday, December 30, 2002
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Related Links: Campaign Print Ads for Newspapers, Newsletters & Magazines | Video PSA's | Campaign Credits | Freedom From Smoking® Online Program | Tobacco Control

(December 27, 2002 — Oakland, CA) -- Comedian Carol Burnett and the American Lung Association are launching a campaign to help people across the country and around the world quit smoking for free through the organization’s Freedom From Smoking® Online Program.

"I was a smoker; I know how hard it is to quit," said Burnett in one of the campaign’s public service announcements. "But I’ve been smoke-free for over 20 years. It wasn’t easy but there are a lot of things in life that are much harder."

Burnett knows all too well the pain smoking and lung cancer can cause. In January 2002 she lost her daughter Carrie, a longtime smoker, to lung cancer. Carrie Hamilton was only 38.

To reach out to others addicted to cigarettes, Burnett decided to help the American Lung Association raise awareness about its program, which is available to everyone at no cost. She is helping to promote the program by starring in a series of public service announcements.

Among Burnett’s campaign messages, she notes, "It’s the New Year’s Season and if you smoke or love someone who smokes, then I'm here to help you with your most important New Year's resolution, quitting smoking. The American Lung Association has a free program that’s helped many people quit smoking. It's called Freedom From Smoking and it's free all the time to anyone who visits www.lungusa.org. Find your freedom from smoking. I know you can do it. It’s there for you anytime, all day, every day. So please find your freedom from smoking. Because when you can't breathe, nothing else matters."

The Freedom From Smoking® Online Program is a seven-part course that helps smokers understand why they smoke, the benefits of quitting, and tips for staying smoke-free. Beyond that, it connects people who are quitting smoking with other people across the country who are also quitting. The result is that people do not feel alone during this process.

"The American Lung Association is fortunate that Ms. Burnett chose to donate her time to help people quit smoking through our interactive free program," said American Lung Association Council Member and volunteer Gwendolyn W. Young." "We could not have created this campaign without volunteers like Director Hal Long and his company, Angelsmith. The entire production crew along with other companies and individuals donated their time and/or services to create this campaign."

"Freedom From Smoking is such an important program because it does more than caution against the risks of smoking, it offers a resource to those who want to quit," said Long. "For that, I'm very proud that I could be involved with this campaign, because it will make a difference; it already has because someone very dear to me has used the program to quit! But also, I'm incredibly psyched about the final spots and am proud of the great work contributed by everyone involved."

"In my journey of beating my nicotine addiction, the Freedom from Smoking Program has been there for me through the good times and the bad," said Miriam Drew, a Los Angeles area resident who recently quit smoking through the program. "The modules have taught me valuable information on the dangers of smoking and why it is so urgent for me to quit now, as well as supplied me with the tools and techniques for handling my everyday life and all kinds of situations as a new non-smoker!"

These public service announcements may be viewed at: http://californialung.org/spotlight/video.html. For more information about or to register for the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® Online Program, visit www.lungusa.org or call your local American Lung Association at 1.800.LUNG.USA.

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The American Lung Association of California, nearly 100 years old, fights Big Tobacco, bad air and the asthma epidemic. With the generous support of the public and the help of volunteers, the organization has seen many advances against lung disease. However, the work is not finished. In its second century, the organization will continue to strive to make breathing easier for everyone. Along with its medical section, the California Thoracic Society, it provides educational programs, community service, advocacy and research. The American Lung Association's activities are supported by Christmas Seals and Chanukah and Kwanzaa e-Greetings, along with other voluntary contributions. For more information, visit www.californialung.org.