The Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans congratulates the Clean Air Kansas campaign that was recognized in two award categories from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) during the recent 2010 Annual Pollie Awards and Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The Clean Air Kansas campaign was unique in the public health field because it successfully engaged Kansas residents in advocacy using new technology,” said Billie Hall, president and CEO of the Topeka-based Sunflower Foundation, which supported the campaign. “The Clean Air Kansas campaign focused on grassroots contacts with legislators instead of media buys. When the day of the vote arrived, we wanted to make sure lawmakers had heard the overwhelming calls from their districts for a smoke free state. In the end, people mattered.”

The award winning, innovative strategy employed live phone calls to constituents across the state to engage grassroots participation in the successful public health initiative campaign. The paid phone program identified over 11,000 supporters of the statewide clean indoor air policy.

The campaign also pioneered the use of recorded constituent testimony in support of the Kansas Clean Indoor Air Act. More than 5,000 recorded constituent messages were sent to their corresponding elected officials.

The Kansas House of Representatives passed the statewide public smoking bill February 25, 2010. The bill, signed by Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson on March 12th, takes effect July 1, 2010.

“The campaign team, including Jake Lowen, Joyce Morrison, Kaelyn Seymour and Capital Strategies, successfully implemented the new strategies and worked with health care partners across the state to bring about this historic public health law,” Hall said.

The AAPC awards in excellence were presented to Kansas Grassroots Consulting, Domain 51, Grassroots Solutions and Stones’ Phones for their roles in the Clean Air Kansas campaign to keep public places and workplaces in Kansas smoke free.