Live programs for
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Patrick Reynolds is a grandson of the tobacco company founder, R.J. Reynolds, but the family's brands, Camel and Winston, killed his father and eldest brother.

This nationally known smokefree advocate is a popular motivational speaker at schools, hospitals and colleges around the nation.

Hospital Community Relations or Marketing Directors frequently sponsor his talks, in part because press coverage of his appearances is strong and positive. This acclaimed program builds goodwill for sponsors, and is an excellent outreach for hospitals.

Why not make one brief call to a likely local sponsor? See who to call and what to say.

Let them know that space permitting, members of the local community may be invited, and that the person assigned to tobacco control in your local county health department may assist by booking more schools in the area.

"In a little over an hour, Reynolds went from being just another anti-tobacco speaker to something special," commented a front page story in one local paper. See recent news coverage.

"Within the first five minutes, I was amazed to watch Patrick Reynolds create an extraordinary bond with our school's culturally diverse and economically underprivileged teens," said Hali Rosen, a teacher at Hawthorne (CA) High.

"After his opening story about his own father's absence, and the sadness and anger he felt as a youth because of it, he asked the students, 'How many of you do not have your biological fathers living at home with you?' When over 50% of the audience slowly raised their hands, our students seemed to realize that these shared emotions cross all economic and social borders -- and a bond was formed.

"After that, the students listened quietly and respectfully, and I could see real interest in their faces, as they related to his overheads and the moving stories he told, so very effectively and skillfully."

See more feedback about Mr. Reynolds' talks from teachers, hospitals, college faculty, and other clients.

An outline of his youth program follows below.

For details about his talks for adults, please scroll down this page.

Talk for adults

Talk for youth

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Possible local sponsors and talking points

Preview video and audio clips

Recent news coverage

Cost of live talks

Feedback from clients

Our new educational video of his live talk

Talks for adults

Public relations concept for corporations

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"Here in suburban Chicago, three hospitals joined together with the county health department to co-sponsor this excellent community outreach. Hospital marketing executives were thrilled with the positive front page news coverage. Tobacco control staff in the health department made their job easier, by handling all the details with the schools at which Mr. Reynolds spoke. His evening presentation for community members was also a great success. "Over his five days of talks in schools, Mr. Reynolds gave youth here a motivating and informative health lesson, through his professional and dramatic story-telling, and his use of powerful overheads. His talk followed CDC-guidelines. I wholeheartedly recommend this extraordinary speaker and his program. In each of the nine schools he visited, he received near universal praise from students and staff. This was a truly outstanding program and community event." Jessica Gerdes, RN, MS, NCSN School Health Consultant DuPage County (IL) Health Department Make one local call Who to call, and talking points

 

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The Truth About Tobacco A live assembly program for middle schools and high schools

This live presentation helps empower youth to stay tobacco free. Teachers' comments note that this speaker educational, highly motivational and inspiring, and that he captivates students. Live or in a new educational video, this program helps empower youth to stay tobacco and drug free. Patrick Reynolds —


Opens hearts and minds with the story of his father's death from smoking

Emphasizes the addictiveness of nicotine

Opens students' eyes to how tobacco ads manipulate our youth

Creates a new awareness of smoking by stars in TV and films

Motivates teens to resist peer pressure to smoke

Gives students a formula for saying no, with clear examples

Empowers audiences to make more responsible choices about drugs and alcohol

Offers an initiation into life, rooted in ancient traditions. "The core message of my brief initiation today is this," Mr. Reynolds says, "first, to gently open your eyes to the reality that there's bad in the world — and that life brings everyone some painful moments and obstacles. It's by staying with whatever difficulty life throws at us that we heal, and solve our problems — not by running away. But many adults escape their pain with cigarettes, food, alcohol, drugs, TV, or even work. A lot of teens use music. Instead, when problems arise, don't alter you mood by running away to these. Stay with your problem, and talk to others about it — a trusted teacher, your parents, the school counselor, your friends. Stay with the problem, and talk to someone. You're initiated now — and a little closer to the world of adults."

Includes motivation on making ethical choices, positive thinking, saying no

A recurring theme: stressing the need to talk about problems to another person, and not isolate

 The touching and powerful story of Sean Marsee, a young track star who died at 19 from chewing tobacco, illustrated with heartrending before and after overheads.

 Hilarious overheads which make fun of Joe Camel, in a hospital bed, and the real Malboro Country: smokers puffing — and coughing — outside an office building door.

Restoring students' faith in the future In this age of terrorism, student worry about the future has become more widespread. This five minute section near the end of Mr. Reynolds' talk empowers youth to deal more effectively with their doubts and fears about the future, and helps to restore their faith in the coming years. This gives students a tangible reason to hold on to their health. Mr. Reynolds motivates students to 1) Talk about their worries and fears to another person, 2) Affirm the positive, with real-life examples given, 3) Reevaluate: what is real wealth, anyway? 4) to "Catch my faith, my rock solid faith in the future." He concludes, "So stay tobacco, drug and alcohol free, for the wondrous, amazing years ahead. Don't smoke, don't drink and don't use drugs — because you'll need your health, every precious bit of it, in the incredible future that's coming." To preview this section, see Video or Audio Clip 5 on our clips page.

A closing promise: "One day we will have a tobaccofree society. And, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have it because of you — you are the future!"

Space permitting, Mr. Reynolds encourages sponsors to invite members of the local community to his middle and high school talks, and to immediately follow with a Town Meeting about smoking, after students return to class.

A talk for universities, conferences and community members Tobacco Wars! The Battle for a Smokefree Society

Tobacco Wars! The Battle for a Smokefree Society educates and inspires college students, community members and health conference attendees. Interest in Mr. Reynolds' talk among students, faculty, the community and local press has been consistently strong.

This highly motivational speaker reaches the hearts and minds of his audiences. Patrick Reynolds speaks vividly and movingly about his memories his father's and eldest brother's deaths from smoking, and then will update the audience on the current state of tobacco control in your State.

He'll compare your State to the rest of the nation in four areas: current State tobacco taxes, spending this year on teen smoking prevention, the strength of youth access laws, and current laws banning smoking in your State from restaurants, bars and other workplaces. Finally, he'll suggest what can be done to bring about change.

Mr. Reynolds will also offer his insightful perspective on other current tobacco issues, including the influence of the special interests over Congress, the UN World Health Organization's Global Treaty on Tobacco Control, ratified by 157 nations as of September, 2008, the FDA law to regulate tobacco, an overview of recent State and Federal tobacco tax hikes, and the sad cutting of highly successful tobacco prevention programs by most States.

He'll provide the current number of States which have passed strong Statewide 100% smoking bans (23 as of September, 2008), and other tobacco issues.

Mr. Reynolds will inform audiences that the tobaccofree movement has made its greatest progress at the local level of government, passing hundreds of 100% smoking bans, and also in the Judicial branch.

But until recently the movement has made little progress in Congress, and has had mixed results in the 50 State Legislatures. Mr. Reynolds believes this has had much to do with the millions the tobacco industry donates each year to politicians' election campaigns, and makes a case for strengthening campaign finance reform laws.

Time permitting, Patrick will include a powerful section from his talk for grades six through twelve: he'll recount the moving and powerful story of Sean Marsee, a young track star who died at 19 from chewing tobacco. He'll illustrate that story with shocking before and after overheads.

For comic relief, he shows some hilarious overheads which make fun of Joe Camel, depicting him in a hospital bed, and present "Malboro Country" as a group of smokers huddled outside an office building's back door getting their nicotine fix.

He briefly discusses the other major addictions prevalent in our society, such as drugs, alcohol, food, and more. "Looking at the big picture, these national addictions we have are a way of avoiding our pain, and changing our mood. But it's better to deal with the problem at hand, instead of running away with diversions like these," he says.

At colleges, reviving an ancient tradition, near the close of his talk he often initiates the students into life. The core message of Patrick's initiation is, "When you were younger, the adults shielded you from the evil and pain in the world. But most adults know that at times, life brings some difficulty. One day a grandparent might die, hopefully when you're in your fifties!

In ancient initiations, which were practiced on every continent of the globe, the adults would take the young ones out into the forest or desert, and deprive them of food or sleep, put obstacles in their path, even cutting them with a ritual "initiation" wound. I'm not going to do that, don't worry!

What I think the adults were trying to tell the teens was, life is designed to be painful at times, and you can do it. When tough moments come, and they will, don't avoid your pain by using tobacco, drugs, alcohol, or even abuse food, music, or work, like so many uninitiated adults do. Instead of avoiding painful feelings, stay with your problem, talk to others about it, and then take steps to solve it. Share your problem and feelings with someone, whether your friends, the school counselor, a trusted teacher or mentor, or your parents. Welcome! You're initiated now, and closer to the world of adults."

Before some college groups, Mr. Reynolds also includes a short section near the end to empower students to keep faith in the future, and to deal more effectively with their doubts and fears about the years ahead. In an age of economic upheaval and an uncertain economy, new diseases such as AIDS, SARS and bird flu, reports on global warming, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the threat of terrorist attacks at home -- all these have raised levels of worry and pessimism among students about the future.

Mr. Reynolds believes that the danger of widespread pessimism among youth is a likely contributor to increased rates of tobacco, alcohol and drug use. If we can inspire students to keep faith in the future, this should motivate them to hold on to their health.

Mr. Reynolds asks students to 1) Talk about their worries and fears to another person, 2) Affirm the positive, 3) Reevaluate: what is real wealth, anyway? Is it only about money? and 4) to "Catch my faith, my rock solid faith in that in the long term, there are wondrous years ahead of us all." He urges students to, "Stay tobacco, drug and alcohol free, for the wondrous, amazing times ahead. Don't smoke, don't drink and don't use drugs — you'll need your health, every precious bit of it, in the incredible future that's coming to us all." To preview this section, see video Clip 5 on our clips page.

Finally Mr. Reynolds offers a closing promise — an inspiring vision of the coming tobaccofree society.

After, there is a Q & A session, and if time permits, an informal reception following the talk.

Patrick Reynolds' appearances in the national media and before Congress have made this grandson of tobacco company magnate R.J. Reynolds an internationally known and respected advocate for a smokefree society.

Mr. Reynolds saw his father, oldest brother, and other relatives die from cigarette induced emphysema and lung cancer. Concerned about the mounting health evidence against tobacco, in 1986 he became the first tobacco industry figure to turn his back on the cigarette business. In the words of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smokefree America." His book, THE GILDED LEAF, published by Little, Brown in 1989, was a bestseller, and he founded The Foundation for a Smokefree America in the same year.

A dynamic speaker, Mr. Reynolds entertains, educates and motivates audiences. And the media coverage of his appearance will bring the smokefree message to your entire community. Patrick Reynolds has addressed Congress, State legislatures, major corporations, associations, health conferences, universities, and high and elementary schools. It is in the latter category that he now wishes to devote the majority of his attention.

Patrick Reynolds' appearances in the international press include profiles by Time, Newsweek, AP, UPI, NBC's Tom Brokaw, CBS' Dan Rather, ABC World News, CNN Headline News, and numerous features by the world's major dailies. He has also made memorable TV appearances on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King, ABC's Nightline, Phil Donahue, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous other national and international television and radio shows.

Reynolds' program makes for great public relations for your group. He's an ideal speaker for the Great American Smokeout Day, Red Ribbon Week, your Health Awareness Week and World No Tobacco Day. Forward this link to your Community Relations or Public Relations director, and suggest they think about bringing Patrick Reynolds in to speak.

Mr. Reynolds has been called powerful, inspirational and motivating. His dynamic talk makes a lasting impression, and media coverage has been consistently positive and strong. Sponsors will build a valuable bridge to their community.

Make one local phone call to a likely sponsor, to bring Mr. Reynolds in to present a motivational talk in your city. Your phone call proposing this idea may soon result in a live talk to youth or adults, and you'll have made a difference in your community. Please take a minute and look over our suggested local sponsors and talking points.

Talk for adults

Talk for youth

Our new educational video of his talk for youth, The Truth About Tobacco

Suggested local sponsors and talking points

Preview video and audio clips

Current news coverage

Cost of live talks

Public relations concept for corporations