Van Buren Kick Butts Day

By Sydney Goemaat and Rose Rankin

March 16th was national Kick Butts Day.  This day encouraged people to stop smoking for the day.  It also encouraged kids to get involved in activities to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco. Every day more than 3,000 kids under 18 try smoking for the first time, and 700 kids become new regular daily smokers. The use of tobacco is still the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S, killing more than 480,000 people every year.

This is why the Van Buren High School YLC group set up a crime scene in the gym during all lunches on Thursday, March 16th to spread awareness about tobacco use. During the lunches students would come up to the scene and notice the outlines of bodies with a sign in the middle of them stating how they died. The causes of death were all from tobacco related uses that people do not take into consideration.

One lady in the crime scene died of Lung cancer. Smoking causes premature aging, premature wrinkles, and early aging of your lungs. Another lady died of a heart attack. Cigars produce more secondhand smoke than cigarettes due to their size, long aging, fermentation process and long burn time. There was a baby that died because of SIDS. Secondhand smoke increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. A man died of a stroke. Cigar smokers place themselves at risk for, mouth and lungs cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attacks and lung diseases. The last woman died of heart disease. Spit tobacco users have a higher risk of heart disease, hypertension and heart attacks.

For more information on the Youth Leadership Council or Kick Butts day please contact the Van Buren County Hospital at 319-29-3171 ext. 1271 or the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or at info@vbsafecoalition.com. 

YLC Members pictured: from left to right: TJ Rankin, Lauren Cochenour, McKenzie Perry, Rose Rankin and in the front Sydney Goemaat