Member Testimonials

"My work experience with the CASE team and our project objectives has been fabulous thus far! I have completely submerged myself over the past few months with our community's project to make Kirksville a smoke-free community. The newly and rapidly recruited PASS students have been incredible workers trying to increase awareness and advocate for the health of Kirksville! I am working with amazing coalition members who have put their lives on hold to dedicate all their extra time towards the cause. Although this has been a whirlwind start, there is no better way to learn than just jumping in!"
- Erin Black, Health Promotion Specialist, Truman State University

"Being part of CASE means that I get to be involved with an issue I feel passionately about. It also means making a difference in the lives of others and leaving this community a healthier community as a result of our work. I see the role of CASE in Columbia as working to maintain the clean indoor air policy that protects the health of all employees. In addition, I think CASE can take an active role in shaping other agencies’ smoking policies including the University of Missouri and other companies as well."
- Tiffany Bowman, Health Promotion Coordinator, University of Missouri-Columbia

"As a member of PASS, I have enjoyed and benefited from becoming involved within my community and developing leadership skills. Being able to collaborate on such an important health issue has helped me develop into a professional leader as well as opened the door for more opportunities in my life. We were successful in this April [2007] election in getting a city-wide smoking ban for indoor public places. It was amazing to finally see our hard efforts pay off after speaking at city-council meetings, calling citizens, sending out postcards, getting the Truman students registered, and spreading the word to vote for a smoke-free Kirksville. Our next step is to get our university campus smoke-free. I encourage other communities to work for a smoke-free ordinance, because being involved with community members and of course the benefits of clean air will be a wonderful achievement."
- Rebecca Verhaeghe, PASS Secretary, Truman State University

"CASE plays a significant role in Columbia by providing evidence-based information and by helping give students and citizens a voice. Informed citizens empowered with knowledge can create positive change and that is what we are seeing happen here in Columbia. For me, CASE means that I get to work with terrific people who care about their community and want to take action to make it better. What I enjoy the most is the feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself, and that you are promoting positive change. There's also an opportunity to work with a variety of talented and interesting people to increase social awareness."
- Dean Andersen, Project Coordinator, Columbia SAFE

"I represent Peers Advocating Smoke-free Solutions (PASS), a University of Missouri student organization aimed at educating students, faculty, staff and the Columbia community about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. PASS is doing a lot of exciting things including helping with the passage of Columbia's clean indoor-air ordinance. As VP of PASS, I serve as a liaison with student PASS members, working to educate them on the issue of secondhand smoke. Coming from a family with strong ties to the medical community and representing University of Missouri students, I am witnessing tremendous support for this movement."
- Domingo Pacheco, former PASS Vice President, University of Missouri-Columbia