Think about your school and the kids you see everyday. Of those kids who start smoking, one out of three will die prematurely from a tobacco-related illness. Smoking kills more than 400,000 Americans each year more than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fires, and AIDS combined.
More than 3,000 kids became regular smokers each day and more than 3,000 non-smokers die of lung cancer due to second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke is also attributed to 35,000 heart attacks each year among non-smokers and is known to cause cancer of the nasal cavity, cervix, breast and bladder.
In addition, almost 90 percent of adults who are regular smokers probably began smoking at or before age 18. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that smoking rates for students in grades 9-12 increased from 27.5% in 1991 to 34.8% in 1999.
In an effort to curtail smoking, the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Shoals Coalition, of which the Urban Center of Lauderdale County is a member, developed and implemented a special project called "QUIT FOR A KID." This special project creates awareness for family members, the community and anyone who would listen to them about the adverse effects of smoking.
The project featured a quit-smoking card contest where children designed a card with the slogan "QUIT FOR A KID." A total of 5000 youth from 40 schools participated in the contest. The cards were judged and three winners were selected from each school. Saving bonds in the amount of $100, $75, and $50 were awarded to the first, second, and third place winners respectively. In addition, the top winners from each county were selected. The top three champions appeared on television to receive special recognition for their efforts.
The coalition believes this was a very special and successful youth project and valued the leadership of Urban Specialists Edna Coleman and Mary Hurt in helping to reach more youth and hopefully, save more lives.