The Story County Tobacco Task Force announced its “Everyone Deserves Smoke-Free Air” campaign on Friday, a plan for smoke-free restaurants in Ames.

The group presented an award plaque to The Grove Cafe, 124 Main St., for its smoke-free environment, addressed the dangers of second-hand smoke, discussed findings of a national tobacco survey and plans for making Story County “the most smoke-free place in Iowa.”

The Grove Cafe, along with 98 percent of the other restaurants in Ames, chose to ban smoking even after 2002, when a few local restaurants appealed a city ordinance requiring all restaurants in Ames be smoke-free. The ordinance was found to conflict with Iowa law and was struck down by the Iowa Supreme Court, making the ordinance no longer enforceable by the city.

Judie Hoffman, campaign coordinator and former at-large representative of the Ames City Council, said the group’s intentions are to reach out to other cities to promote smoke-free atmospheres.

“It’s really going to put Story County on the map as far as doing something about secondhand smoke,” Hoffman said.

She said by traveling around the county and holding conferences and special events, the task force’s goal is to convince hotels and motels to become smoke-free. The group also hopes to persuade sororities and fraternities to ban smoking.

Jacklyn McEachran, Ames High School student and member of Just Eliminate Lies, an organization of Iowa teenagers who campaign against tobacco use, addressed one of the committee’s reasons for promoting smoke-free dining — the dangers of secondhand smoke.

McEachran said children and workers are 50 percent more likely to develop lung cancer from being in smoky environments.

Secondhand smoke is the third-leading cause of preventable death, killing 53,000 nonsmokers in America each year, she said.

“It comes down to the fact that [being in smoky environments] is just plain deadly,” McEachran said.

Lynn Kauffman, manager of The Grove Cafe, said she thinks banning smoking has caused the cafe to lose very few if its customers.

“Our food comes out fast, so the customers don’t have to sit long without smoking,” Kauffman said.

Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco said most of the city was wholeheartedly in support of the smoke-free ordinance.

“I think it’s particularly nice that citizens in Ames don’t get asked if they want smoke-free dining or not,” Tedesco said. “They can sit down and enjoy the taste of their food.”

Brittany Weese, Gilbert High School student and representative for Teen Task Force, announced the findings of a national survey titled “Operation Storefront.”

The group traveled to more than 22 stores in Story County, taking note of tobacco and anti-tobacco advertisements. Results found an average of 8.5 tobacco advertisements outside stores or viewable from outside stores, Weese said. Some stores had more than 20 tobacco advertisements outside, she said.

The survey also revealed an average of 14.8 tobacco signs inside stores.

Anti-tobacco signs averaged 5.5 signs per store, Weese said.

After visiting the Grove Cafe, the campaign moved to Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company, 129 Main St.; Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe; 631 Lincoln Way, and Red Lobster, 1100 Buckeye Ave.

In the next two weeks, the group hopes to visit and present awards to all 107 smoke-free restaurants in Ames, said George Belitsos, chairman of the Story County Tobacco Task Force.