From staff reports
Youth members from the YWCA, United Way Kids, Titusville High and Middle school will take to the streets on Thursday to show support for community members participating in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
The event kicks off at the YWCA Titusville directly after school and will end around 4:30 p.m. The students will start and end their one-mile loop walk or Cold Turkey Trot at the YWCA.
“The goal is to provide encouragement to local residents who are currently involved in a quit attempt,” said YWCA director Ashleigh English. “We also want to educate about the free quit programs available and to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco use.”
The Cold Turkey Trot is part of a Cold Turkey campaign which seeks to encourage tobacco users to make a plan to quit instead of quitting cold turkey.
In Titusville and neighboring cities, residence can take part by making a pledge to quit or to sign up for a cessation program using the Great American Smokeout, Nov. 16, as the date to start their plan or plan ahead to quit on that date.
Cessation programs are free and include the PA Quitline at (800) 784-8669, pa.quitlogix.org and local cessation classes.
Quit classes at the YWCA, are currently in progress, and local health care providers, Titusville Chamber of Commerce and the YWCA are serving as registration sites for the PA Free Quitline which offers free counseling and nicotine patches, gum and lozenges.
All class participants and Quitline registrants will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of three frozen turkeys or a gift card valued for the price. The drawing will take place after the Trot on Nov. 16.
Youth groups participating so far in the Trot are members of the Titusville YWCA, United Way of the Titusville Region, Titusville High School’s, Stand Tall, Girls Soccer Team and Boys Varsity Soccer Team; all of whom are members of the Tobacco Resistance Unit.
For more information on The Great American Smokeout, visit www.cancer.org. For information on the Cold Turkey Campaign and local cessation programs, contact Paula Di Gregory at (814) 758-1919.
