CASE Activities

October 2008

• 25 - PASS-SEMO participated in the university's annual homecoming parade. The theme was "Imagine the Possibilities" and PASS students wore T-shirts saying "Imagine the Possibilities of a Smoke-Free Community." They handed out candy cigarettes with a tobacco fact on them. The students also collected signatures for the Breathe Easy Coalition from people who were interested in helping Cape Girardeau become smoke-free.

• 23-25 - PASS-TSU participated at the Society for Public Health Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. Students attended all of the tobacco prevention, cessation, and control sessions and workshops given by experts in the field.

• 18 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air participated in Harvest Fest 2008 in downtown Jefferson City. Coalition members hosted a booth with information on secondhand smoke and interactive games. More than 80 people signed on as supporters and approximately 300 "Smoke-Free Jefferson City" pencils were given away to children and their parents visiting the booth, along with 50 copies of the Smoke-Free Dining guides to those who were interested.

• 8 - SMASH partnered with the Students for Sustainable Future on the MSU campus during the third Ecopalooza event. SMASH had a table with free popcorn, giveaways like massagers, water bottles, pens, notepads, and brochures on secondhand smoke hazards. Many new students signed up as members of SMASH and were interested in signing the petition for a smoke-free campus. The group's tri-board presentation of its goals, past events and facts on secondhand smoke attracted attention among participants in the event and lots of positive feedback.

• 6 - SMASH set up an info table and gave away free popcorn, pens and notepads during the screening of the movie "Thank you for smoking" sponsored by the Department of Media, Journalism and Film on MSU campus. Many of the students who came to watch the movie signed the petition for a smoke-free campus.

September 2008

• 27 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air distributed information and recruited supporters during the Old Munichberg October Fest in south Jefferson City. Several supporters were recruited at this well-attended event.

• 27 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air distributed information and recruited supporters during the Jazz Festival in Memorial Park in Jefferson City. The event was attended by approximately 500 people.

• 23-24 - CASE conducted a TATU training at Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools in Columbia. They trained approximately 15 high school students to be peer educators and develop leadership skills, and educated them on the dangers of secondhand smoke.

• 16 & 18 - SMASH conducted an awareness campaign during the Public Affairs Week at MSU. They gave away T-shirts, popcorn, massagers, water bottles, pens, notepads, and other promotional materials. To receive a T-shirt, participating students had to read aloud a fact about secondhand smoke. Many students liked the idea and shared with SMASH that they learned something interesting from these facts. On September 18, various community organizations visited the campus and that gave SMASH an opportunity to introduce their organization to the larger community. Click here to see the flyer.

• 12 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition distributed literature about secondhand smoke and got supporter signatures from participants of the Tour of Missouri bike race during their stop at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. Representatives from the American Heart Association contributed to these educational efforts.

• 12 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition gave a presentation about the health effects of secondhand smoke to the central chapter of the Association of Retired Missouri State Employees in Jefferson City. Twenty-five people attended the presentation and 13 of them signed on as supporters to the coalition.

• 10 - PASS-MU students had a table at the Joint Peer Education Council Resource Fair. They had information about cessation opportunities for students who smoke and education on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and recruited students interested in joining PASS.

• 9 - Stan Cowan, research aide at CASE and member of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition, gave a presentation to the Jefferson City Downtown Businesses organization. Twenty-five community leaders attended the event and 14 of them signed on as supporters to the coalition.

• 8 - PASS-MU students had a table at the MU Activities Mart. They had information about cessation opportunities for students who smoke and education on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and collected names of over 270 students who would support a smoke-free campus.

• 5 - Stan Cowan, research aide at CASE and member of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition, spoke at the Jefferson City Eastside Betterment Association and had a question-and-answer session afterwards. Fifteen eastside businesses attended and seven of them signed up as supporters.

August 2008

• 30 - PASS-MU volunteered at the American Heart Association's walk in Columbia. Students assisted with setup, tear down, and other activities during the walk.

• 28 - PASS-MU students helped TATU students at Hickman High school at their information table at the "Kewpie Fest," where the high school students had an opportunity to sign up for participation in student organizations.

• 23 - Breathe Easy Hannibal had a booth at Hannibal LaGrange College's HLGFEST club fair and gained supporters for the organization from college students and staff. They gave away about 170 T-shirts and gained 200 signatures.

• 22 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition members presented a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate to Prison Brews Microbrewery and Restaurant in Jefferson City. Bob Stanley, manager of the brewery, was delighted to receive the certificate and shared with the group his positive experiences since the introduction of the smoke-free policy.

• 22 - PASS-MU students had a table at the MU Fall Welcome Resource Fair. They had information about cessation opportunities for students who smoke and education on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and collected names of over 250 students who would support a smoke-free campus.

• 18-24 - SMASH students participated in the New Student Festival Week on the MSU campus. They had an information table at the student union to introduce SMASH to the incoming students and a petition on making the campus smoke-free. About 250 students showed their support by signing the petition and many of them joined as members of SMASH. Supporters received giveaways such as T-shirts, massagers, Frisbees, water bottles, pens and candy. Click here to see the flyers.

• 13-14 - CASE Research Assistant Petya Eckler gave two research presentations at the 2008 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media, sponsored by the CDC in Atlanta, GA. The first presentation was on the role of the CASE website for the overall work of the grant. The second one was a poster on the local newspaper coverage of tobacco issues in Missouri, based on an ongoing content analysis conducted by CASE. To see the presentations, click here.

• 9 - Felicia Poettgen, health promotion specialist for Jefferson City, and Stan Cowan, research aide for CASE, participated at the Jefferson City Medical Group's Kids Fest. They presented information about the health effects of tobacco, distributed coloring books for children with health facts on tobacco, and displayed the unhealthy and healthy pig lungs as a visual of the effects of smoking. Approximately 350 people attended the event and many signed up as supporters of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition.

July 2008

• 31 - Several members of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition met at Hunan Restaurant in Jefferson City to present the owner and manager, Vanida Chan, with a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate. She was very pleased to accept the certificate and to have them as customers. She commented that a smoke-free section was not an option: There was no way to protect her staff and customers from secondhand smoke by just seating them in separate sections. Click here to read the news coverage.

• 31 - PASS-MU participated at M1 Activities Fair to reach out to first-year medical students. They gave out information on PASS activities and tobacco issues and garnered support for a smoke-free campus.

• 30 - Bonnie Linhardt, member of Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition and American Heart Association state advocacy chairperson, distributed the Smoke-free Dining Guide at the Cole County fair and spoke with attendees about the benefits of smoke-free communities. Click here to see the Dining Guide.

• 27 - PASS-UMSL participated with a booth in the New Student Orientation Fair at the UMSL campus. They passed out information and asked new students to join their group. They also had a petition for a smoke-free campus.

• 18 - Members of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air Coalition presented Kate & Ally's in Jefferson City with a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate. The owner of the restaurant Richard Burkemper commented that since the area was small, the decision to go smoke-free was an obvious one.

• 11 - SMASH students and Health Promotion Specialists Shantan Ravula and Sarah Durnbaugh met with MSU President Michael Nietzel to introduce the organization and talk about MSU students' attitudes towards tobacco, as surveyed by CASE, and SMASH's future goals. They also spoke to him regarding changes to MSU's campus tobacco policy.

• 4 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air participated with a booth at the daylong Salute to America celebration in Jefferson City. They displayed information about the health effects of secondhand smoke and the ever popular pig's lungs, which served as a visual aid for the health effects of smoking. Close to 50 people signed up in support of a smoke-free Jefferson City and others learnt about the local and state-wide options for smoking cessation. The Cole County Partners for Clean Air gave out their Dining Guide for Jefferson City and surrounding areas, which lists smoke-free venues, cards with information about the Missouri Quit Line, and supporter forms with their mission statement and information about secondhand smoke.

June 2008

• 27 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air presented a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate to Audrey Johannes, owner of Cafe Via Roma on High St. in Jefferson City. Johannes grew up in Jefferson City, has lived in Boston and Europe and returned with her family to open her business. From the very beginning, she never considered allowing smoking in her establishment. To see a photo of the event, click here.

• 17 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air presented a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate to Taiser Yanis, owner of the Coffee Zone in Jefferson City. Yanis was very honored and said that his business had increased by 40% since it became smoke-free in 2004. To see a photo of the event, click here.

• 6 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air had a booth at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Jefferson City. The team distributed materials about secondhand smoke, recruited volunteers and fundraised for cancer. Diseased and healthy pig lungs, statistics and other information about secondhand smoke helped draw people into the tent to talk. Coalition members spoke to many children and their parents and signed up seven new supporters.

• 5 & 12 - Jenna Jordan of PASS-MU, Linda Frost and Diane Coffman of SAFE-Columbia and Devin Lammy, health promotion specialist for Columbia, hosted an information table at the Twilight Festival in Columbia. They talked to community members about tobacco cessation and social justice issues related to Big Tobacco Companies.

• 3-4 - Mayor Darwin Hindman attended Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights' "Clearing the air: An institute for policy advocacy" conference in Lake Tahoe. He presented information to other communities about Columbia's experience with introducing a smoke-free citywide ordinance.

• 3 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air presented a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate to Judy Scheve, owner of Breadeaux Pizza in Jefferson City. Her restaurant has been smoke-free for more than 10 years. To see a photo of the event, click here.

• June-July - PASS-MU student Jenna Jordan was part of the cast who performed Summer Welcome Wellness Skits during MU's Summer Welcome program for incoming freshmen. The skits covered wellness topics including alcohol responsibility, Facebook safety, acquaintance rape, body image, and tobacco cessation and smoke-free Columbia. Click here to read the news coverage.

May 2008

• 23 - Cole County Partners for Clean Air presented a Smoke-free Dining Recognition certificate to Sam Donohue, owner of O'Donohue's Steaks and Seafood in Jefferson City. The restaurant opened in 2004 and initially allowed smoking in the bar area but in May 2008 Donohue decided to go smoke-free in the entire establishment. To see a photo of the event, click here.

• 16 - Stan Cowan, research aide for CASE, gave a presentation at the annual Employee Health Fair at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City. He distributed information about secondhand smoke, the position statement of the Cole County Partners for Clean Air, supporter forms and stickers to interested participants. He also used diseased and healthy pig lungs to demonstrate the health effects of smoking, which served as a good attraction and a conversation starter. Approximately 500 people went through the fair.

• 14 - Health Promotion Coordinator Tiffany Bowman, Health Promotion Specialist for Columbia Devin Lammy and PASS-MU President Traci Harr presented 13 community service awards to Hickman High School TATU students who had worked with PASS and CASE on tobacco education in the area schools. The awards were in appreciation of their work to further tobacco control efforts.

• 6 - CASE and PASS-MU participated in the Mayor's Health Fair at the Activity and Recreation Center in Columbia together with other health organizations in town. They presented an educational display and talked to Columbia residents about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke.

• 5-9 - Dr. Cody Sharp, health teacher at Lewis & Clark Middle School in Jefferson City, and 16 of his seventh-grade health class students wrote letters to Mayor John Landwehr to show their support for a smoke-free environment in their community. Since restaurants in Jefferson City started going smoke-free, the students had noticed a difference in their dining experience and after taking the health class, they grew concerned about the health effects of secondhand smoke on them and their families. Theese concerns and the raised awareness spurred the letters, which were delivered to the mayor on May 23.

April 2008

• 28 - TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) students from Hickman High School along with PASS-MU president Traci Harr presented to both health classes for each of the five class periods at West Junior High School. Students presented activities and a skit covering the dangers of tobacco use and second-hand smoke. Approximately 130 junior high school students who were educated by this event.

• 27 - Stan Cowan had a table at the health fair of Faith Lutheran Church in Jefferson City where he distributed information about tobacco cessation and secondhand smoke, including coalition supporter forms. Approximately 150 came through the fair.

• 26 - PASS-UMSL was nominated for best new organization on campus for the Student Life Awards. "I was very proud that we got nominated," says Katie Moore, health promotion specialist for St. Louis. "It showed that we made an impression on the campus. I hope that next year we can do even more and that this would inspire other fellow students to join the cause for a smoke-free campus."

• 25, 28 - PASS-MU students drove a golf cart around campus and gave students rides to classes while talking to them about smoking cessation and secondhand smoke. During the rides talks also centered around a smoke-free campus.

• 21 - Stan Cowan spoke to a group of 40 representatives of various community service clubs in the Jefferson City area about the dangers of secondhand smoke and distributed volunteer forms and information packets. This information will be taken back to their clubs.

• 18 - SMASH participated with its own booth in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on the MSU campus. They educated other participants about the hazards of secondhand smoke, organized games to raise funds for cancer and core members stayed for the whole 12 hours from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

• 16 - SMASH participated with a booth in the second Ecopalooza event, a free concert dedicated to climate change and part of MSU's celebration of Earth Month. SMASH's goal was to raise awareness about child labor in the tobacco industry overseas. To that end, they created posters, gave away free popcorn and asked students to donate money for freeing children from forced labor at tobacco and beedi (thin cigarettes from South Asia) companies abroad.

• 16 - PASS-UMSL participated in Mirthday Celebration, an expo of student groups on campus. The students held a booth where they passed out information about secondhand smoke and quizzed passers-by on the number of smokers on the UMSL campus.

• 12 - PASS-MU students assisted the Wellness Resource Center with the Tenth Annual Chad Eatherly Memorial 5K Fun Run in Columbia. Chad Eatherly was a WRC peer educator who died of unknown causes. Each year the WRC with the help of the Greek Week Steering Committee hold the run in his memory. A memorial scholarship is also awarded to a WRC peer educator.

• 11 - Katie Moore, health promotion specialist for St. Louis, gave a Fight Back Speech at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on the UMSL campus. She asked the crowd to help fight back by advocating for their peers and educating them on the dangers of secondhand smoke.

• 11 - SMASH students attended the fifth annual "Making Your Campus Tobacco-Free" workshop at Ozarks Technical Community College. The college has been a tobacco free campus for five years. SMASH presented their organization and activities towards making the Missouri State University campus smoke-free.

• 5 - PASS-MU members Christine Matthews, Andrea Johnson, Jenna Jordan, and Megan Rau delivered the session "Put Your Foot in the Door, Not in Your Mouth" at the 2008 Meeting of the Minds annual conference in Kansas City, MO. The presentation was designed to help college students understand the differences between speaking to a peer group and to professionals, including campus administrators and decision makers. They used their experiences in working to change the MU campus smoking policy as a guide. To see the presentation, click here.

• 5 - Health Promotion Specialist Erin Black and Carolyn Cox from Truman State University gave the presentation "Strategic Planning for Smoke-free Environments" at the 2008 Meeting of the Minds annual conference in Kansas City, MO. They discussed advocacy strategies in advancing local smoke-free ordinances, campus and community interventions and the experience of communities in Missouri who have already become smoke-free.

• 4 - Marian Trattner and Kristy Wanner from MU Partners in Prevention and Tiffany Bowman, CASE health promotion coordinator, gave the presentation "Smokes, Slots, and Suicide: What's the Connection" at the 2008 Meeting of the Minds annual conference in Kansas City, MO. Their session informed participants about addiction, the possible connection between tobacco, gambling and suicide and offered tools for campus prevention. To see the presentation, click here.

• 4 - PASS-MU members Traci Harr, Lindsey Goetz, Mike Puricelli and Melissa Oribhabor delivered the session "What the Hookah?" at the 2008 Meeting of the Minds annual conference in Kansas City, MO. The presentation discussed the history of tobacco water pipes (hookah), the rising popularity among college students, myths about the safety of hookah. To see the presentation, click here.

• 4 - Dr. Jeremy Barnes, professor of health promotion at Southeast Missouri State University, gave the presentation "Addressing Tobacco Control on Campus" at the 2008 Meeting of the Minds annual conference in Kansas City, MO. He discussed CASE's tobacco control strategies at its campus alliances across the state. To see the presentation, click here.

• 2 - PASS-UMSL celebrated National Kick Butts Day with educational tabling at Millennium Student Center on the UMSL campus. PASS displayed 1200 shoes to represent the 1200 people who die every day from tobacco. The shoes were collected during the previous two months and afterwards donated to the Salvation Army. The organizers also continued to survey students about their tobacco use and attitudes and have received over 300 responses thus far.

• 2 - Breathe Easy Springfield presented Bob Martin of Nathan P. Murphy's bar in Springfield with an award for protecting his customers, employees and entertainers from secondhand smoke. This is the first downtown bar in Springfield to become smoke-free, since July 2007.

March 2008

• Kevin Everett, CASE principal investigator, was selected as an inductee into the 2008 Rock Bridge High School Hall of Fame. This honor goes to "graduates who have demonstrated exceptional personal, community, or professional achievements" according to the organization's website. Kevin graduated Rock Bridge High School in 1981. Nominations come from the community. The induction ceremony will take place during Homecoming in the fall.

• 19 - PASS-MU students participated in the Wellness Resource Center's Safe Spring Break Resource Fair. They disseminated information about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and resources for free tobacco cessation. Students also collected names of peers who support a smoking policy change at MU.

• 18-21 - PASS-MU students hosted educational tables at Hickman and Rock Bridge High Schools for the annual "Red Ribbon Week." The week, coordinated by the high school outreach counselors, promotes healthy decision making, and focuses on the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

• 18-20 - PASS-UMSL held their 2008 KISS ME campaign at Millennium Student Center on campus. They gave away T-shirts for completing surveys and distributed information on quitting smoking.

• 17 - PASS-TSU students held their 2008 KISS ME campaign. They gave away KISS ME T-shirts for St. Patrick's Day, collected signatures of supporters of a smoke-free campus and distributed educational materials for those interested in quitting. PASS students also collected feedback about the smoke-free city ordinance to hear what students thought of the new policy. Many students shared their appreciation of dining out and going to the bars and not coming home smelling like smoke.

• March 12 - SMASH students participated in the Safe Spring Break Education Fair at Taylor Health & Wellness Center on the MSU campus. SMASH had a booth where they provided educational materials about the hazards of secondhand smoke and the necessity for a smoke-free campus.

• 3 - Health Promotion Specialist for Columbia Devin Lammy and PASS-MU President Traci Harr traveled to Westminster College in Fulton to meet with their new peer education group. They discussed the format of the peer groups at the MU Wellness Resource Center and PASS-MU's activities over the last year. They also encouraged Westminster students to attend the Meeting of the Minds conference to meet members of other peer groups.

February 2008

• February - April - PASS-TSU students were working hard to educate potential Kirksville city council candidates and student advocates in the TSU Student Senate about the benefits of the city-wide smoke-free ordinance. The three open council seats created quite a stir as several candidates used a platform of removing the ordinance or creating exemptions because the ordinance was allegedly hurting business. PASS-TSU met with student groups on campus to encourage students to vote for pro-health candidates. In the end, students from TSU and the policy supporters in the community got out to vote and elected three candidates in support of a healthy community and keeping the smoke-free ordinance intact.

• February - March - PASS-TSU offered another round of Cold Turkey cessation classes. The class met once a week and was taught by the peer educators. Participants received vouchers for patches from a local pharmacy after successfully completing each class. They also had the opportunity to create individualized quit dates and plans and speak to a physician. About 20 people attended the class with more asking to join near the end. PASS-TSU students plan to offer this class again in the fall during October-November in conjunction with the 2008 Great American Smokeout.

• 25 – PASS-UMSL students showed the movie "Thank you for smoking" at Oak Residence Hall. As part of the event they presented their group and its mission to the attending students and discussed smoke-free options for the campus.

• 19 - Devin Lammy, health promotion specialist for Columbia, and Keith Frazee, peer education coordinator at the MU Wellness Resource Center, traveled to Dixon to give a presentation to school assemblies on the harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol use at the Middle School and High School.

• 14 - SMASH students held the 2008 KISS Me "Just for the Health of it" campaign on the Missouri State University campus. Around 450 students attended the event, which offered information about smoke-free air and SMASH, educational facts on Hershey kisses, and free T-shirts. Students also had a chance to sign a petition in support of clean air on campus. Click here to see related materials.

• 13 - PASS-MU students held the third annual KISS Me campaign at the University of Missouri campus. This year's theme was "KISS Me, Just for the Health of It." The event expanded into a free student wellness fair, focused on providing students with personalized health information such as lung capacity, aerobic ability, and bone density tests, brief eye exams, and sun damage assessments. Participating organizations included Columbia Allergy and Asthma, The Mason Eye Institute, The Dermatology Department of the MU Health System, Wilson's Total Fitness, The Starting Block, and others. Over 1,000 students attended and many signed pledges to further smoke-free living and environments. Seventy-three percent of them supported a smoke-free campus. Click here to see related materials.

• 11 - Health Promotion Specialist for Columbia Devin Lammy received the 2008 Blue Chalk Advising Award from the MU College of Arts and Sciences. The award recognizes excellence in advising and is a student-led decision. This is the first time the award has been given to a non-academic advisor.

January 2008

• 24 & 29 - CASE trained six new TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) peer educators from Hickman High School in Columbia. The students will now be going into middle and elementary schools to do peer education and training on the dangers of second-hand smoke and tobacco use.

• 9 - CASE celebrated the one-year anniversary of the smoke-free ordinance in Columbia. About 250 Columbia citizens gathered at the Blue Note where they were treated to a concert by The Bait Shop Boys and free refreshments. CASE & SAFE presented "thank you" banners signed by local students to the Board of Health and City Council. Mayor Darwin Hindman briefly spoke about the city's commitment to the health of its citizens. Click here to read the news coverage.