Program Funded by Three-Year Grant from Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth

WASHINGTON (October 20, 2010)– Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington announced today a three-year, $210,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, a division of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, to teach the LifeSkills Training program to nearly 500 children at local clubs and schools in the Northern Virginia region.

LifeSkills Training provides students with the skills to resist pressures to use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and offers information about the health problems caused by these substances. Students participating in the program learn skills to aid in developing a positive self-image, how to resist peer pressure and how to avoid being influenced by advertisements and the media. They also learn how to cope with anxiety and how to better communicate with others and build friendships.

“LifeSkills Training provides valuable skills to help children learn to lead healthy lifestyles and avoid peer pressure as teens,” said Stuart Michie, Director of Health and Life Skills at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

“It’s not enough to tell young people not to smoke or use drugs,” says Michie. “Teaching the students good decision-making skills and allowing them to participate in tobacco- and drug-prevention activities, helps them to learn and to make good decisions.”

For more information, contact Stuart Michie, Director of Health and Life Skills, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, at (202) 540-2300. For information about the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, contact Richard Foster, VTSF public affairs coordinator, at (804) 225-3947.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington:

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) is one of the largest affiliates of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. BGCGW serves nearly 21,000 children in 18 sites, and a summer camp, all located in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Through a variety of educational, sports, and recreation, health, arts, and character development programs, BGCGW creates a positive environment where children are encouraged to develop their ambitions and turn them into reality. BGCGW helps boys and girls of all backgrounds, especially those who need us most, build confidence, develop character, and acquire skills that prepare them for school and for life as productive, civic-minded, and responsible adults. For more information on programs, please call 202-540-2300 or visit our website at www.bgcgw.org.

About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth:

The General Assembly established the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth to lead statewide efforts to reduce and prevent youth tobacco use and childhood obesity. Formerly known as the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, the foundation was founded in 1999 and meets its mission through multifaceted efforts including statewide community educational programs and youth-targeted marketing and advertising. It is funded by 10 percent of Virginia’s share of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).