News and Events
Lake City Middle School SWAT and Tobacco Free Partnership Receive Tobacco Free Florida Week Proclamation
May 5, 2016
On May 5th, the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners recognized May 8th- 14th as “Tobacco Free Florida Week.” This year’s theme, Secondhand Smoke Exposed, focused on dispelling the common myth that secondhand smoke is harmless. The fact is that breathing even small amounts of secondhand smoke can be dangerous. Secondhand smoke, has hundreds of toxic chemicals including about 70 that are known to cause cancer. Secondhand smoke greatly increases the risk of lung cancer, which is Florida’s number-one cancer killer. Each year, primarily due to secondhand smoke exposure, an estimated 7,300 non-smoking Americans die of lung cancer.
From L to R: Commissioner Scarlet Frisina , SWAT Student Nolan Williams,
Partnership Member/SWAT Advisor Stephanie Hosch
Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) members from Lake City Middle School were present to not only receive the Proclamation observing the week but took the opportunity to educate local decision makers on the dangers of secondhand smoke.
SWAT member Nolan Williams took to the podium to educate decision makers on secondhand smoke as well as recent SWAT activities. Nolan’s speech can be found below:
My name is Nolan Williams and I am a student member of Lake City Middle School’s SWAT club. One of our missions in the SWAT program is to bring awareness to the dangers of tobacco. One of the most effective tools against tobacco use is prevention. Throughout the year, we have participated in parades, Through with Chew week, created posters for our school, had meaningful conversations about tobacco topics and built friendships through fun activities. By raising awareness to young people who are easily influenced, we can make a difference in our community. If our county were to recognize Tobacco Free Florida Week, we can help make a positive change in the health of our residents.
The Tobacco Free Partnership as well as SWAT would like to thank the elected officials of Columbia County for recognizing “Tobacco Free Partnership” and their continual partnership in tobacco prevention.
