Orange County wins two VACo achievement awards for youth anti-tobacco campaign and airport movie night

Jeremy Bennett, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), presented Orange County with two 2025 VACo Achievement Awards on behalf of the association, citing the county’s youth-driven "Smoke Makes You Broke" campaign and the Friday Night Fly-In Movie Night at the county airport.

The awards recognize innovative local programs VACo identified from a competitive pool; Bennett said VACo received 155 entries and selected 55 winners this year. "I'm proud to present Orange County with 2 achievement awards," he said, noting the county has won multiple times in recent years.

Paul Weber, operations manager at the airport, described the Fly-In Movie Night as an effort to present the airport as a community asset rather than solely an aviation facility. Weber said organizers obtained FAA permission to close part of the ramp for the event and estimated, "We probably had 200, 2 50 people," describing families, displays and agency participation that included static aircraft and simulators.

Alicia Vines, director of the Office on Youth, and Robin Chapman, grant program manager, described the "Smoke Makes You Broke" effort as youth-led outreach to discourage underage purchasing of tobacco and vaping products. Vines said the kids developed the campaign identity and materials and worked with a local partner store to place window clings and distribute stickers. "But it really was all the kids," Vines said, crediting youth leadership for the campaign's design and outreach.

County officials and board members praised the programs as examples of interagency cooperation and community engagement. The VACo representative said program descriptions and photos will be posted on VACo's website so other counties can review the entries as potential models.

The county accepted the awards and participants gathered for photos following the presentation. No board action was required.