Smoke Out Tallahassee encouraged the community to quit smoking and other forms of tobacco use at its Second Annual Smoke Out Tallahasse which was held Saturday at the Augustus B. Turnbull Florida State Conference Center.
North Florida’s Women Care CEO Bill Hambsh explained the importance of getting various types of information about how to quit smoking immediately.
“Everybody quits differently. It’s not one size fits all,” Hambsh said. “They don’t have to wait until New Year’s Eve to make that resolution. They can start today.”
The event also provided resources that enlightened youth about the negative effects of tobacco use. Trish Hanson, founder of non-profit organization MoLab Inc., demonstrated the effects of smoking for the youth to see.
“The whole idea is to not even have them consider smoking as a possibility,” Hanson said.
Vincent Irving, a representative of both Tobacco Free Leon partnership and Florida Department of Health Leon County, concurs with the idea of tobacco prevention.
“The most important thing is for citizens to come here and learn how to be healthier, but mainly for our younger people to prevent from becoming tobacco users,” Irving said.
Brett Sutton, a representative of Radiology Associates of Tallahassee, expressed his appreciation of the event and the amount of tobacco use along the statistical evidence.
“It’s just amazing how many people still smoke even though they know the dangers of it,” Sutton said.
Smoke Out Tallahassee also displayed an art contest. Children from local areaes submitted artwork that displayed the negative effects of smoking. Sponsored by Campus USA Credit Union, the first-place winner received a scholarship of $250.
Ruth Kohler, an attendee, thought the event overall was a good source of information.
“I think it’s a good service that they can come here and get information and classes for free,” Kohler said.
For more information, contact PublicRelations@nflwc.com and visit http://smokeouttallahassee.com/contact-us/.