Stamp Out Smoking News

Oluwakemi Talabi is a recent graduate of Michigan State University who earned her bachelor of arts in communication with a specialization in public relations. She joined the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program in April with a nine-year background in community health and education advocacy.

Talabi has a passion for helping people overcome unhealthy behaviors. After losing 65 pounds, her primary focus was assisting people with achieving their weight loss goals; however, as a result of her aunt’s death from lung cancer, her interest in tobacco cessation evolved.

“During my aunt’s battle with lung cancer, she continued to smoke cigarettes until she died. That’s when I realized the addictive nature of nicotine,” said Talabi.

Known to her colleagues as “Kemi,” this Michigan-native brings a wealth of knowledge from her previous position as an adolescent health educator for the Ingham County Health Department where youth tobacco-cessation programs were offered as an alternate to suspension. As TPCP’s Tobacco Cessation Program Analyst, Talabi is responsible for providing technical assistance to tobacco control partners and disseminating cessation resources among grantees, tobacco-free coalitions and tobacco-users.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Debby Woods was appointed to the TPCP advisory board by Governor Mike Beebe in February 2008 to represent the Arkansas Department of Education. She joined the Department of Education in February 2007 as the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Tobacco Coordinator for the Office of Coordinated School Health. She previously spent 31 years in the classroom teaching special education, health and physical education. Woods became interested in tobacco prevention while serving as a leader for the Champs Have and Model Positive Skills program in Fountain Lake School District, where she taught for 26 years. She led peer leadership programs on tobacco, alcohol and drug use in various school districts. Woods earned her degree at Henderson State University in Special Education, Health and Physical Education.

At the Office of Coordinated School Health, Woods conducts workshops for teachers across the state on updated rules and regulations regarding physical education and physical activity, nutrition and tobacco. Some of her workshops are tailored to provide coaches and physical education teachers, as well as classroom teachers, new ideas for implementing physical activity into every class.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Fulton County Hometown Health Coalition is a community-driven initiative to identify, seek and secure resources for improvement of the health and quality of life for residents of Fulton County. The coalition seeks to improve the health and safety of the county through awareness, education, partnerships, prevention and delivery of health care resources and services.

The coalition recently partnered with the Fulton County Extension Office and Fulton County 4H to include tobacco education and prevention information at the Camp Fit and Fun for students in first through sixth grades. Camp Fit and Fun teaches healthy eating and exercise habits through hands-on activities, crafts, physical activities, cooking demonstrations and classroom lessons.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Arkansas students grades 6-12 created television spots about the dangers of secondhand smoke to submit as entries for the annual SOS drama contest, “The Big Pitch. This year, SOS received 28 entries, the most received in the history of the contest! The television spots were sent to an independent panel of judges from Stephen F. Austin State University’s drama department in Nacogdoches, Texas, and they selected the following teams as first-, second- and third-place winners:

• First place – Fayetteville High School Team A
• Second place – Arkansas High School
• Third place – Fayetteville High School Team B

Each team received store credit to purchase new drama equipment for their schools. The television spot created by Fayetteville High School Team A will be included in the next SOS media campaign, which will air statewide.

For the first time, SOS asked Arkansans to help select a People’s Choice winner for the 2008 contest. Entries were posted on stampoutsmoking.com, and after receiving more than 1,100 votes, Haas Hall Academy was selected as the first recipient of the People’s Choice Award. Thank you for voting and supporting the efforts of Arkansas students who participated in the contest.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Winners have been selected out of nearly 1,000 entries received for the 2008 SOS “Clean Air Avengers” essay contest. Entries were divided into three categories: grades 2-3, 4-6 and 7-9, with a first-, second- and third-place winner in each category.

Entries were scored by a panel of judges from Stephen F. Austin State University’s English department.

Congratulations to the following students for their winning entries:

Grades 2-3
• First place – Abigail Walker, Benton
• Second place – Mary Beth McKay, Vilonia
• Third place – Emily Dippel, Sherwood
Grades 4-6
• First place – Loryn Rene Teater, Monticello
• Second place – Jordan Dabdub, Fort Smith
• Third place – Crystal Bles, Shirley
Grades 7-9
• First place – Brandyn Young, Fayetteville
• Second place – Angelique Leasure, Paragould
• Third place – Acadia Kimball, Rogers

For more information about the essay contest or other SOS programs, visit stampoutsmoking.com.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Act 13 was passed in April 2006 to prohibit smoking in vehicles carrying a child less than six years of age and weighing less than 60 pounds. Although Arkansas was the first state to pass such a law, many Arkansans remain unaware. To increase awareness and decrease violations, SOS created a radio and television advertisement about the act, which are airing statewide. The new ads, titled “Gas Chamber,” can be found in the ad gallery on the Media page of stampoutsmoking.com.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Arkansas is one of 17 states partnering with the American Legacy Foundation in its new online cessation resource, BecomeAnEx.org. Become An Ex provides tobacco users with the resources to develop a plan for quitting, helps them set a quit date, and allows them to be part of an online community. It aims to help smokers re-learn their lives without cigarettes. You may have seen the television or heard the radio advertisements, which are in heavy rotation in Arkansas. For more information, visit becomeanex.org.

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 12, 2008) – Winners have been selected out of nearly 1,000 entries received for the Stamp Out Smoking “Clean Air Avengers” essay contest.  Entries were divided into three categories: grades 2-3, 4-6 and 7-9, with a first-, second- and third-place winner in each category.

SOS, the media and public relations campaign of the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, hosts an annual essay contest encouraging Arkansas youth to write essays about the heroes in their lives who exemplify healthy and tobacco-free lifestyles.

In the category for grades 2-3, Abigail Walker, a third grader from Benton, won first place, while Mary Beth McKay, a third grader from Vilonia, and Emily Dippel, a second grader from Sherwood, placed second and third.  In the category for grades 4-6, Loryn Rene Teater, a sixth grade student from Monticello, took home the first-place prize.  Jordan Dabdub, a fourth grade student from Fort Smith, was awarded second place and Crystal Bles, a fifth grader from Shirley, came in third.  In the category for grades 7-9, Brandyn Young, a seventh grade student from Fayetteville, was awarded first place, while Angelique Leasure, an eighth grader from Paragould, and Acadia Kimball, a seventh grader from Rogers, placed second and third. (more…)

Category: Uncategorized

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 12, 2008) – Stamp Out Smoking, the media and public relations campaign for the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, is encouraging dads this Father’s Day to remember the important role they play in their children’s lives. Father’s Day, on June 15, is an excellent opportunity for fathers who smoke or use smokeless tobacco to start the process of quitting, not only for their own health but also for the health of their children. (more…)

Category: Uncategorized

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 21, 2008) – Stamp Out Smoking, the media and public relations campaign for the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, has announced the winners of its fifth annual “The Big Pitch” drama contest.

Fayetteville High School Team A was awarded first-place and was presented with a $2,500 gift certificate to purchase drama equipment for its school.  Team members Nathan Trucks and John Couch created a television spot starring Owen Kohler and Mike Thomas about the dangers of secondhand smoke.  Their spot will air statewide in the next SOS media campaign.  Arkansas High School’s “Razorback TV” team received second-place and was awarded $1,000 in store credit to purchase drama equipment.  “Razorback TV” is made up of team members Tony Yarber, Hannah Klenk, Shirley Floyd, Quin Tramel, Ashlyn Rico, Emmanuel Davis, Aaron Brumley, Quintony Chiles, Kenny Nguyen, Jesse Tillis, Meg Fletcher and Chris Gonzalez.  Fayetteville High School Team B, which includes students Josh Bonnell, Kyle Erf and Chris Wood, placed third and received a $500 gift certificate to purchase drama equipment.

(more…)

Category: Press Release, Prevention