Children at the Cesar Chavez Library learned about the dangers of tobacco use through activities and games Wednesday as a part of Kick Butts Day.
Children learned about the dangers of tobacco use through activities and games Wednesday as a part of Kick Butts Day at the Cesar Chavez Library in Salinas.
The event in Salinas, part of a nationwide movement that had more than 1,000 similar events across the country, was hosted by Sun Street Centers' Safe Teens Empowerment Project members, an after-school program for high school students.
"Today we’re out here to hopefully show a little awareness on being tobacco free. It’s important to reach out to the younger kids so they know the dangers of tobacco," said Teresa Alvarez, student council leader for STEPS.
According to the press release by Tobacco Free Kids, the goal of Kick Butts Day is to push towards creating the first tobacco-free generation.
The smoking rate in the country among high school students has dropped by 71 percent since 2000, but the use of tobacco is still the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, claiming 480,000 lives each year, according to the press release.