New Youth Coordinators off to a Great Start

Starting in July our Youth Coordinator, Ron Khare, moved on to other pursuits, and we hired a strong team to replace him. Alicia Roach (right) and her sister, Carissa Hughell, have dived into a number of activities this summer and have great plans for the coming school year to mobilize our young people against the lies of Big Tobacco. Alicia and Carissa are both substitute teachers in the Fairfield School district and are graduates of Fairfield High School. They bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to their job! Already this summer they gathered young people in both counties to promote our message at the Fairfield Artwalk, the 4th of July Parade in Sigourney, Sigourney County Fair, and threw a back-to-school JEL pool party at the Sigourney Swimming Pool. They also gathered youth for a pizza party to plan strategies for the coming year. We look forward to seeing many youth involved in our efforts this year under Alicia and Carrisa!

New Law in Effect

As of July 1, 2008, workers and patrons of Iowas restaurants, bars, and other places of business are breathing freely because of the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Even outdoor public places including entertainment venues and outdoor serving areas are covered under the law. This is a great milestone for public health and is a source of pride to Tobacco-Free Coalitions across the state. Our local tobacco prevention community partnerships have been asked to provide information about the law. Whenever a violation is reported, a notice will be sent to us to follow up with a phone call or visit to educate the violators on how to keep in compliance. So far, there have been no complaints to follow up on in our two counties. If you see any violations, call 888-944-2247, or just let us know. Enjoy the fresh air!!

Smoke-Free Home and Car Pledges

Now that the new law protects nonsmokers from secondhand smoke in most public places, our next target has become educating parents to protect children from secondhand smoke at home. For this we are expanding our Smoke-Free Home and Car Pledge drive this year. We have collected nearly 50 or the 300 we set as our goal for the year. Please share your ideas about this project at our coalition meeting in September.

Cessation Classes this Fall

We are happy to offer to the public free tobacco cessation class this fall in both counties. The classes will be announced as part of the promotion for the Great American Smokeout in November. We need help from Coalition members to promote this!