Phoenixville Teens Against Tobacco Visit State Capitol

Students from the Teens Against Tobacco (TATU) Clubs at the Phoenixville Are Middle and High Schools traveled to Harrisburg earlier this month to participate in the American Lung Association’s (ALA) Advocacy Day.

Advocacy Day is annually sponsored by the ALA in an effort to seek support for more comprehensive clean indoor air legislation and legislative support of a well-funded tobacco control program for Pennsylvania.

The Phoenixville youth were joined by youth from all parts of the state in order to draw attention to the dangers of tobacco use, each wearing Tobacco Resistance Unit (TRU) T-shirts and carrying “We Deserve It” signs as they walked throughout the Capitol buildings, taking photos at strategic sites and sending the visuals over social media sites.

Phoenixville TATU members were also the recipients of a personalized tour of the Senate by Senator Andrew Dinniman. The morning’s activities ended with a press conference on the steps of the Capitol’s Main Rotunda where Senator Stewart Greenleaf and Representative Tom Murt spoke to the status of the current clean indoor air Senate and House bills.

The youth were accompanied to Harrisburg by their Club advisor, teacher Kevin Corcoran, TATU trainer, Billie Goldstein from the Phoenixville Hospital, Anthony Strickland, Phoenixville YMCA youth leader, and Phoenixville Communities That Care’s Dolores Winston.

Phoenixville Hospital has long partnered with the school district in support of tobacco use prevention and clean air policy. The Teens Against Tobacco Use Clubs, teacher in-service seminars, tobacco cessation programs, Young Lungs at Play signage and youth advocacy at both the local and state levels have been initiated by the Hospital.