( MAY 7, 2007) Key policy makers, researchers, public health advocates and several Members of Congress will gather on Capitol Hill on Wednesday (5/9) for the annual Congressional Women’s Luncheon hosted by the American Legacy Foundation and Women’s Policy Inc. The foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based national public health organization devoted to keeping young people from smoking and helping all smokers quit. Reps. Lois Capps (California) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington) Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (Illinois) and Mary Fallin (Oklahoma), the Vice-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, will also serve as luncheon sponsors.Attendees at today’s lunch are expected to include Congressional Members and staffers from various sectors including Congress, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. WHY:The purpose of the lunch is to raise awareness about the negative consequences of tobacco use among women in a relevant and substantive nature. This year’s theme will be centered on the primary influences of self esteem among younger women which is a strong area of interest pursuant to the formation of the Caucus’s “Young Women’s Task Force.” Each year, 178,000 women in the United States die from tobacco-related diseases like cancers, heart disease, emphysema and stroke. In addition, research shows that although 70 percent of smokers want to quit, only a very small portion, five percent, actually quit long term. WHO: Cheryl Healton, Dr. P.H., president and CEO, American Legacy Foundation Susan Foster, vice president research and analysis, Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University Tracy Reese, fashion designer, Tracy Reese Fashions Sara Austin, features director, SELF Magazine WHEN: Weds. May 9, 200712:00 - 1:30 p.m.WHERE: 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room) BACKGROUND: The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EXSM, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.americanlegacy.org.