Positively Muskegon: The Know Smoke Zombie Walk is Coming October 15th Downtown Muskegon

Sunday, September 25, 2016

The Know Smoke Zombie Walk is Coming October 15th Downtown Muskegon

It's on the decline....but...it's not quite far enough yet. Youth smoking. It gets picked up early...with 9 out of 10 smokers starting before they are 18. From the CDC website here's a shocking fact...."If smoking continues at the current rate in this country, 5.6 million of today's Americans younger than 18 will die early from smoking related illness. That's 1 out of every 13 Americans aged 17 or younger today" 1 in 13!

It's too many.

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On a personal note...with a few years behind me when it comes to addiction....smoking is harder to quit than heroin. Nicotine is highly addictive and breaking the habit is tough....best thing....don't start. But you can preach all you like, some will still pick up the habit!

Education is key and education early on is the most important. How do you talk to kids about this though? Well, the Muskegon County Tobacco Reduction Coalition has the Know Smoke campaign happening October 15th. It's a big part of The Health Project in Muskegon County by Mercy Health.

The first Zombie Walk happened back in 2014 as part of the "Kick Butt's" program at Muskegon High School and it's grown since then. The idea behind it all is to create a generation that's smoke free and not "zombies" of tobacco according to Missy Gallegos who is an educator in Public Health - Muskegon County.

How do you engage kids? Well, you do whatever it takes!! So, the Know Smoke folks roll out the fun and invite all ages down to participate. You'll get registered for the walk at LC Walker Arena at 2 on October 15th. From there...the walk heads to Hackley Park where there will be prizes...treats...music....strait talk about smoking and maybe even a flash mob! (We say maybe because if we were 100% on that the flash factor it would ruin the surprise). There is even a bounty of 100 shirts up for grabs for the first 100 participants to sign up!

Aimee Taylor of the McClees Clinic and Missy Gallegos joined me to talk a little about the event. Take a listen to our chat below.

Mercy Health and the Health Project are completely committed to Muskegon and the health of the people here. It's on every level too. From programs like the Zombie Walk to ALI, Medication disposal programs.. Drug Free Muskegon County and more....The Health Project brings together people who truly care and empowers them to do what it takes to make a difference. If you'd like to know more about the Know Smoke Zombie Walk... click on the picture below to go to their website!!