Kick Butts Day

Today, Wednesday March 24th marks the 15th annual Kick Butts Day here in Wisconsin. Many youth have been preparing for this day for months. From Rock County to La Crosse to Clayton, youth from all over the state are telling Big Tobacco that they are not going to be their target any more. The lies and manipulation stop with these youth.

• Youth in Rock and La Crosse Counties are sharing their excitement about the big day 7/5/10- the day Wisconsin goes smoke-free. 
• Youth at Fort McCoy are educate soldiers and the families on why it is so great to live tobacco-free. 
• Youth in are demonstrating the cost of tobacco with a visual of  hundred dollar bills in the cafeteria. 
• Jackson County Youth are hosting a poster and t-shirt making contest.

Kick Butts Day is about raising awareness about the problem of tobacco (tobacco-related health care costs coming in at $2.02 Billion), the human cost of tobacco (7,200 lives lost each year in WI alone), and more importantly- the SOLUTION.

This year Wisconsin youth have a lot to celebrate including the passage of a comprehensive smoke-free air law and a tobacco tax increase. The most important message that youth can make on this annual day of Kicking Butt is to remind their state leaders that the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program needs to be funded at the CDC recommended level. 

To see more events view the map of all the events here!

Below is a link to the media coverage of WI events:
http://www.wxow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12195209