2009 Racicot Award

For Immediate Release: For more information:

Hope Taft, Pres/CEO

Leadership Foundation

937-848-2993

The Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation is pleased to announce that First Lady Mikey Hoeven has been selected as the 2009 recipient of their highest award, The Racicot Leadership Award by her peers.

The Leadership Foundation is composed of nearly fifty current and former governors’ spouses who are concerned about childhood drinking. Started as an initiative of First Ladies in 2000 by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it matured into its own non-partisan, non-profit under the direction of first lady emeritus of Montana , Theresa Racicot.

First Lady Mikey Hoeven was chosen for this recognition based on her strong commitment to preventing and reducing childhood drinking sinc becoming first lady in December 2000. She is a co-chair of the current spouses, started the successful Let’s Keep Our Kids Alcohol Free” campaign, raised money for her efforts through Applebee’s and a MOMS cookbook, created the “ I Choose” CD and serves on the Governor’s Prevention Advisory Council on Drugs and Alcohol.

Her efforts have highlighted the need to change the conversation about childhood drinking. The 2007 ND YRBS report found high school alcohol use had dropped to 46% from a high of 61% in 1995.

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For more information :

Jane Mohler

Office of the First Lady

701.328.1010

2933 Lower Bellbrook Rd., Spring Valley, Ohio 45370