World No Tobacco Day Text-2-Quit event May 30 2009

BREATHE LA 4-U-N-I Teens Helping Teens Quit Smoking program celebrated World No Tobacco Day with Text-2-Quit
Saturday, May 30, 2009 at the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade.

Teens competed to win prizes, including movie passes, DVDs and MP3 Players

• Text while Hula Hooping
• Text while Playing Ping Pong
• Text Around the World

Speakers included pulmonologist, Dr Guy SooHoo, a BREATHE LA Board Member, who will discuss the dangers of smoking, Kate Swartz of USC and teen testimonials on the importance of steering clear of smoking. The event featured founding students from Beverly Hills High School 4-U-N-I Teens Helping Teens Quit Smoking chapter, BREATHE LA, Nicotine Anonymous, Smoke-free Apartments and other Los Angeles area health organizations for this first ever World No Tobacco Day Text-2-Quit event. BREATHE LA funds 4UNI Teens Helping Teens Quit Smoking through private donations. Join us to ensure these highly motivated teen leaders can continue to get the word out about how un-cool it is to smoke, donate today.

Text-2-Quit invited the community to take part in fun games and activities with a message, "Don't Smoke or You'll Choke" as one of the text messages read. Paricipant Susan Newton told us, "my father is quitting his smoking on Tuesday. He had been a lifelong smoker, quit in his 40s, picked up again in his 60s and now will be ending a 10-year habit. It's very hard to break.My husband and I both quit 13 years ago. Unfortunately he recently picked up the chew habit and I'd really like help. So, our 2-year old (EMILY) and 4-year old (TORI) are hula-hooping for their dad!"

Going global with the World No Tobacco Day message, visitors from Denmark, Anne Mette Lundberg and Hans Christian Lundberg, visiting from Hinnerup, Denmark with parents Hans-Henning Lundberg & Margrethe Olesen, joined the fun as did Rain, a teen hula hooping champ from San Bernardino.

 
Games and activities included Ping Pong challenge, teens challenged each other to TEXT QUIT SMOKING MESSAGES while playing ping pong, and Hoop to Quit, hula hooping. With public health street team from USC and poster making crew from Beverly Hills High school, QUIT SMOKING messages reached the crowds and the community at this fun second annual 4UNI Teens Helping Teens Quit Smoking event.

Over 30 student volunteers took part from 9 schools including Beverly Hills High, Santa Monica College and USC.

About 4-U-N-I:
4-U-N-I Teens Helping Teens Quit Smoking is a teen-to-teen no smoking program led by high school students and supported by BREATHE LA. High school students can earn community service hours by implementing a 4-U-N-I program in their schools or by serving the community through a BREATHE LA summer internship.