This year in Clarke, Banks, and Cherokee counties, Halloween was about more than just costumes and eating too much candy. Trained Tar Wars presenters ⎼ including medical students from the AU/UGA Medical College of Georgia campus and Northeast Georgia Family Medicine Residents Dr. Shaina Alleyne and Dr. Nickeya Wynn ⎼ delivered the tobacco, nicotine, and vape prevention Tar Wars message as a part of Red Ribbon Week.
Our volunteer presenters facilitated multiple presentations to elementary, middle, and high school students reaching nearly 10,000 youth during Red Ribbon Week alone. They encouraged students to stay healthy and resist the temptation to use and abuse harmful nicotine and e-cigarette products. They also provided cessation resources and other informative handouts to the students.
We are thankful to these amazing Tar Wars presenters and are so encouraged by the impact they made on students.
There are two ways that you can help stop Georgia youth from smoking or vaping in YOUR community before they ever start:
- Become a Tar Wars presenter! Program Q & A and Presenter Training Sessions are available weekly during most lunch hours through September and October. Click HERE to sign up!
- Become a Tar Wars champion in your community! Are you connected to your area principal, school board and/or school nurses and health educators? Would you love to see students in your local school systems receive the Tar Wars program? Please connect us with your area school leaders so that we can spread our anti-tobacco and anti-vaping message to students across our state. Please email tarwars@gafp.org for resources and information on how to get connected!