Innassa Brich.
The Tioga County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc. (TCCASA) has selected Innassa Brich of Newark Valley High School and Zane Johnson of Spencer-Van Etten High School as the winners of its Not a Replacement selfie contest, which was part of the national Kick Butts Day campaign.
The Not a Replacement selfie contest gave Tioga County students in grades nine through 12 a chance to stand up and speak out against tobacco use. About 1,300 people die every day in the United States from smoking-related illness.
Some of the major tobacco companies have been quoted as saying that youth will serve as replacement smokers for those who are lost, and marketing for tobacco products continues to shape young minds.
Zane Johnson.
Through this contest and the national Kick Butts Day campaign, local youth were able to consider the dangers of tobacco use and share their own reason for choosing not to be a replacement smoker. All youth who participated in the Not a Replacement contest will be recognized with a pizza party held at participating schools. Innassa Brich and Zane Johnson will also receive their prizes at this time.
Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism organized each year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. It empowers youth to stand up and speak out against tobacco use and the harmful marketing strategies used by big tobacco companies.
This year’s annual Kick Butts Day campaign was celebrated on March 18.
Additional information is available at http://www.kickbuttsday.org/.
For more information, contact TCCASA directly at (607) 687-6349 or by email to info@tccasa.org.
