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More than 4,000 Beaumont Independent School District students are joining the
Julie Rogers "Gift of Life" Program's Don't Smoke Your Life Away Campaign and
are taking a stand against tobacco by creating anti-smoking fliers that encourage
the community to "kick" this harmful habit.
The campaign, You CAN Take a Stand, which is in collaboration with Kick
Butts Day, a nationwide initiative empowering youth in the effort to stop tobacco
use, includes a canned food drive among BISD middle schools, (March 9 - March 19)
benefitting the Southeast Texas Food Bank.
Through information provided by the "Gift of Life," the students' anti-smoking
fliers will detail the negative effects of tobacco. These lifesaving messages will
then accompany Family Boxes of nonperishable goods distributed by the Food Bank to
low income families throughout Southeast Texas.
In addition to learning about the harmful effects of tobacco use, homeroom classes
will strive to accumulate the most canned food within each school while simultaneously
participating in a larger competition between all seven schools. The winning homeroom
class from each school will receive a party, and the school that accrues the most cans
will be awarded a "You CAN Take a Stand: Don't Smoke Your Life Away" banner and trophy
to proudly display at their campus.
For more information about the "Gift of Life" tobacco cessation program, Don't Smoke
Your Like Away, or the "You CAN Take a Stand" campaign, please call (409) 833-3663.
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Tobacco usage represents the single most preventable cause of death and
disease, killing over 24,000 Texans each year.*
Tobacco use causes more deaths annually than alcohol, heroin, cocaine, murder,
car accidents, fire and AIDS combined.*
A community-wide anti-smoking campaign targeting both adults and adolescents
was launched in 2005 to encourage Southeast Texans to consider the serious
health consequences of smoking, as well as the impact of secondhand smoke. With
the startling knowledge that one-third of all cancer deaths are attributed to
tobacco, "Don't Smoke Your Life Away" builds on the success of the "Gift of
Life" 2004 initiation of the ASPIRE program in Beaumont Independent School
District 9th grade health classes. Once fully launched, the year-round campaign
will include billboards, banners, posters, signage, flyers, and public service
announcements.
The "Gift of Life" was recently awarded a grant by the Texas Department of
State Health Services. Under this project, we will implement a comprehensive,
multi-faceted approach to tobacco prevention and control in Jefferson County.
Using evidence-based best practices provided by both the Texas Department of
State Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control, the "Gift of Life"
will undertake numerous activities, including the following:
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Train community and health agencies on tobacco use, secondhand smoke,
Beaumont's smoke-free ordinance, and cessation resources; distribute tobacco
and secondhand smoke literature and information kits to social service
agencies, neighborhood and faith-based groups; and prepare outreach materials
suitable for large-scale mail-outs;
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Conduct educational outreach with youth and adults to include secondhand smoke
and the benefits of smoke-free environments, with a focus on young African
American men;
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Advocate for passage of a smoke-free ordinance in Port Arthur, and consult with
businesses affected by Beaumont's 100% smoking ban;
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Strengthen and create new relationships with area health professionals to
promote awareness of and access to cessation services, including the ACS
Quitline and Medicaid coverage for cessation aids; offer technical assistance
about available cessation services; and
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Develop a year-round campaign to include letters to the editor, op-eds, and
feature stories, in addition to fact sheets upon release of major or special
tobacco-related reports.
As of August 1, 2006, Beaumont joined the list of Texas cities with a smoking
ban in place thanks to a four to two vote in favor of a 100 percent ban on
smoking in enclosed public spaces. On April 25, City Council Members Becky
Ames, Nancy Beaulieu, Bobbie Patterson, and Lulu Smith, MD, voted in favor of
the ordinance, which also prohibits smoking within 25 feet of public buildings
and workplaces.
Council's decision to ban smoking developed out of a resolution first proposed
by the Jefferson County Medical Society and the Jefferson County Dental Society
in July 2005 recommending a ban in public buildings and areas throughout the
county. "Gift of Life" Board officers, directors, and staff then attended
Beaumont City Council meetings, educated council members about the harm caused
by secondhand smoke, and urged them to consider passage of the 100% smoke-free
ordinance.
Read more about
"Don't Smoke Your Life Away" in Volume 18 of "Sharing the "Gift
of Life."
View "Don't Smoke Your Life Away" Photo Gallery
* Texas Department of State Health Services
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