Thanks for the support

To the editor:

On behalf of Alaska Family Services’ Tobacco Prevention and Control Program and Breathe Free Mat-Su, I would like to thank the following for their support in this year’s Kick Butts Day event: Pandemonium Booksellers and Café; Larry Winter, Karl Lund and Lisa Stewart from Mat-Su Grief Support Group; Officer Tim Jessem and Deputy Police Chief Greg Wood from Wasilla Police Department; John Borland, Adam Schou and Richard Harrop from Central Mat-Su Fire Department; Country Legends 100.9 radio station; Mat-Su TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use); Joe Darnell, Kiersten Wilber, Kelsey Boss and Sarah Stoppa.

Held each year in March, Kick Butts Day is a national event designed to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. The efforts of the organizations and volunteers that supported Kick Butts Day locally made our daylong celebration at Pandemonium March 28 a real success.

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die of smoking-related illnesses, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke.

By supporting events like Kick Butts Day, you can help both the smokers and nonsmokers in our community avoid becoming part of those statistics.

Becky Stoppa,

coordinator

Alaska Family Services’ Tobacco Prevention and Control Program