News and Events
DeSoto County Students Working Against Tobacco Educate the Community on the Dangers of Flavored Tobacco
It is the end of the year and a rather busy 2nd quarter for DeSoto County Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) club advisors and youth members. With 2013 lying just on the horizon, the DeSoto County SWAT clubs have begun to setting the stage for candy-flavored resolutions of in DeSoto County.
In October, DeSoto High School SWAT and DeSoto Middle School SWAT handed out 250 Halloween postcards with candy to bring awareness to candy-flavored tobacco products. These cards educated DeSoto County citizens on the fact that candy-flavored tobacco products are made to entice to youth to start using tobacco products.
At the end of the month both SWAT clubs partnered with the Tobacco Free Partnership of DeSoto and Quit Doc Research and Education Foundation to present a plaque to Mr. Adrian H. Cline in recognition of his support for their endeavors. Three members, Hannah Lambright from the middle school club, and Joedy Rios and Jose Barrajas, from the high school club, attended this event as representatives of their SWAT clubs.
Left: SWAT Youth present School Superintendant Cline with a plaque acknowledging
his efforts on school-based tobacco-free policies.
Right: SWAT Youth designed an entry for the Christmas Card Lane event.
Near the end of November, the SWAT members tapped into their creativity and made cards that are currently being displayed on “Christmas Card Lane.” This is an annual event sponsored by the DeSoto County Chamber of Commerce where organizations and businesses in DeSoto turn pieces of plywood into giant Christmas cards. The Christmas cards are then displayed on “Christmas Card Lane” which is located across the street from the courthouse along a sidewalk next to the chamber building.
This month DeSoto County SWAT clubs have mailed out Christmas cards to local businesses and decision makers to educate them on candy-flavored tobacco. Like the Halloween postcards, the Christmas cards take advantage of the candy cane that accompanies the holidays to draw attention to the candy-flavored tobacco trap set by Big Tobacco to ensnare a new generation of tobacco users.
