MEDIA RELEASE
November 13, 2018
Kevin Lyman wins Billboard’s Humanitarian Award for work with FEND
Billboard has announced Kevin Lyman as the winner of this year’s Humanitarian Award for his work promoting FEND (Full Energy, No Drugs), a youth-led community based opioid education and prevention campaign.
Developed by the Preventum Initiative, (a 501(c) (3) non-profit) FEND launched in May 2018 and rolled out with the Vans Warped Tour during the summer of 2018, engaging more than 30,000 young people along the way.
Billboard is excited to honor Lyman with the 2018 Humanitarian Award.
"Kevin has been promoting non-profits through the Vans Warped Tour since its inception, and the results have long been inspiring,” Billboard editorial director Jason Lipshutz said.
“The opioid crisis is impacting everyone, and the entertainment industry is no exception. Kevin’s efforts have created a positive impact and deserve to be recognized.”
Lyman says the opioid epidemic really hits home for him.
“Too many members of the Vans Warped Tour family have been affected by the opioid epidemic,” says Lyman, the first Global FEND Ambassador.
“With the Vans Warped Tour coming to an end I had an opportunity to continue to reach out to youth and make a difference. FEND was an amazing opportunity to educate youth and prevent overdose and deaths due to opioids. Working with FEND we can save countless lives!”
The FEND app gives young people the facts about opioids, prescription drugs, and addiction so they can make informed choices about their health, while using gamification techniques to reward youth for learning.
“Kevin has been instrumental in helping engage not only attendees at the tour stops, but also the artists and bands,” says Jacquii Burgess, Preventum Initiative executive director.
“After the success of the summer, FEND is now rolling out into states across the US in an effort to empower youth to take a stand against opioids, and to reduce the stigma of addiction that prevents many people from getting the help they need.”
Lyman and his consultancy group will continue their involvement with FEND as it rolls out to youth across the US.
ENDS
About Billboard Media Group:
Billboard is the world’s largest voice in music, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com, the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry’s most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music – the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard has a social media footprint of 25.5M+ million social followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and creates more than 160M+ cross-platform video views per month. Billboard magazine has published major news-generating covers recently including Travis Scott, Zayn, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, Demi Lovato, Cardi B, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, DJ Khaled, Shakira, BTS, and an open letter to Congress signed by 180+ of the music industry’s biggest stars and executives. In December 2017, the Billboard Women in Music ceremony, which honored Selena Gomez as Woman of the Year, was live-streamed globally on Twitter.
In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group acquired Spin Media’s storied music assets Spin, Vibe, and Stereogum, establishing the world’s largest music brand by digital traffic, social reach, and audience share. The combined entity of music and entertainment properties now reaches 41 Million + unique visitors and more than 20% of U.S. millennials.
About Preventum Initiative
The Preventum Initiative is a 501(c) (3) non-profit based in NC that brings together technologists and evidence-based research to solve complex public health challenges. Its current focus is on the opioid crisis.