The Grand Rapids Urban League was in the Raider Grille Wednesday raising awareness of the harmful toll smoking takes on your body.
March 19 is National Kick Butts day and thousands of students across the United States took part in events that are organised by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. More than 1,400 events were planned across the nation.
According to the organization, each year, smoking kills 480,000 people in the United States and costs the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and other economic losses.
“It’s more about being proactive about your life, than reactive. Don’t wait until you get sick, don’t wait until you get diagnosed with cancer…If you stop smoking today, statistics say you add 7-8 years to your life,” says Lisa Butler from the Grand Rapids Urban League.
According to Butler, If you smoke a pack a day, it will cost you approximately $94 a month. Over a year, you will spend approximately $1136 in an entire year on cigarettes.
“You could take a vacation, save up, even invest that money and live healthy,” Butler said.
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell was also on campus dancing with students. T-Shirts, highlighters, and lanyards were also raffled off to students in attendance.
Butler was pleased Grand Rapids Community College recently changed it’s tobacco polity banning the e-cigarette on campus.
“I think it’s fantastic, I hope more people pick up on that…For GRCC to take the lead on that is huge,” Butler said. “It only takes one chemical to cause cancer.”
For more information on National Kick Butts day, visit www.kickbuttsday.org.
