Welcome

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission
The NC General Assembly established the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission (HWTF) in May 2001 to invest in programs and establish partnerships to address access, prevention, education and research that help improve the health of all North Carolinians. HWTF’s key mission is to prevent, reduce and remedy the effects of tobacco use, with a particular emphasis on youth. The Trust Fund has also embarked on numerous initiatives to improve public health, and to reduce the economic and human suffering caused by preventable diseases. Since its inception, HWTF has awarded grants to communities facing the serious challenges of childhood obesity, health disparities, youth tobacco use, rural health care and access to medications for low-income and uninsured populations.

HWTF Diversity Workgroup
In January 2010 a Diversity Work Group was formed to focus on how to expand the base of tobacco prevention and cessation youth volunteers to make sure that the messages reached a diverse cross section of the community. The group met monthly to discuss the different facets of diversity and explore the need to increase cultural competence among those who work in tobacco control.

Diversity Workgroup Leadership

Kerry Bird, NC Commission of Indian Affairs
Sterling Fulton-Smith, Grants Manager, TUPC
Maria Girlando, RTI International

Chairperson

Kerry Bird, NC Commission of Indian Affairs

Workgroup Members

Sharon Berrun – Haliwa-Saponi Tribe
Missy Brayboy – North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs
April Bryant – Lumbee Tribe of NC
Pamela Diggs – Orange County Health Department
Chandra Green – Question Why
Rachell Grounds – Mecklenburg County Health Department
Nicole Hill – Alice Aycock Poe Center
Ralphel Holloman – Vance County Schools
Kathryn Kevin – El Pueblo, Inc.
Houa Lee - Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!)
Jamie Magee-Miller – Durham County Health Department
Patricia Mancio – El Pueblo, Inc.
Rebecca Rice – Guilford County Department of Health
Ellen Richardson – Haliwa-Saponi Tribe
Barbara Wilkins – Halifax County Schools

Health and Wellness Trust Fund Staff

Tom Brown, Program Officer, Tobacco
Sterling Fulton-Smith, Grants Manager, TUPC
André Stanley, Grants Manager, TUPC

Workgroup Facilitator

Mary Council, RTI International

The Heritage Month Toolkit
The Heritage Month Toolkit is an internet-based tool that provides grantees with materials to facilitate the planning and implementation of their culturally tailored tobacco control activities. The toolkit includes educational materials in the form of tailored Fact Sheets, PowerPoints, press releases, and print media. In addition, the toolkit provides access to publicly available culturally tailored tobacco control resources from leading tobacco control organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control Office on Smoking and Health, the American Legacy Foundation, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and leading tobacco control networks such as:

Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL)
National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN)
National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN)
National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Tobacco Control Network (LGBT)
National Tribal Tobacco Prevention Network (NTTPN)

How to Use the Heritage Month Toolkit

Acknowledgments
The preparation of the Heritage Month Toolkit was made possible through the commitment and efforts of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program Officer, Grants Managers, and Grantees. We would like to acknowledge the North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund Diversity Work Group members (past and present) who conceived the idea of developing the Heritage Month Toolkit to assist tobacco control grantees in their efforts to serve diverse communities. Finally, we offer a special acknowledgement to Barri Burrus, RTI International, who provided ongoing direction to the project and RTI Creative Services for graphics, web support, and CD production.

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative
Health Disparities
Cultural Competence