Today is Kick Butts Day!
March 21, 2012
Thousands of young people at more than 1,100 events around the country – and even overseas – are taking action against tobacco today, the 17th annual Kick Butts Day.
In all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and on U.S. military bases at home and abroad, youth have planned creative, high-impact activities to promote proven solutions to tobacco use.
And they’re countering the tobacco industry’s deadly marketing that hooks kids as “replacement smokers” for the estimated 443,000 Americans who die from tobacco use each year.
Kick Butts Day is organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and sponsored by the United Health Foundation.
Today’s Kick Butts Day is especially well-timed: Earlier this month, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that while the nation has made tremendous progress in reducing youth smoking, tobacco use among kids is still a “pediatric epidemic” that requires urgent action.
In fact, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin will address youth in Boston after they march across the Boston Common and then rally outside the historic Massachusetts Statehouse.
In Ohio, former Ohio State University, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns football players will join scores of youth in Columbus to hold a press conference and discuss the importance of funding for state tobacco prevention programs.
And what’s going on in Wasilla? Students at Wasilla Middle School in Alaska will host a “Dinner of Death” where they will learn about hazardous chemicals found in cigarettes. The event will feature casserole dishes, salad bowls, and dinner platters filled with chemicals that are found in cigarettes, such as arsenic and ammonia.
Tweet your Kick Butts Day event!
Have a great Kick Butts Day event planned? Tell us about it on Twitter.
You can join the Kick Butts Day tweet up by using the hashtag #KickButtsDay or tweeting us @KickButtsDay. That way, we can re-tweet you and follow what’s happening at your events! Even if you aren’t participating, you can view all of the Twitter action from events across the country at kickbuttsday.org. You can also follow the action on Facebook.
And remember to send us your pictures and videos. For the first time, Kick Butts Day is hosting a photo contest. The winners will be featured in next year’s guide! Check out the details!