[C-U Smokefree] Message for the Prez

[Scott P Hays]

Hello to all CU Smokefree Alliance supporters,

It's do it or die time, folks!

At last Tuesday's meeting, we accepted our Monthly Strategic Plan, which puts us on a track to introduce smokefree ordinances in Champaign and Urbana November 15th and 16th - that's the Great American SmokeOut week.  Our introduction will coincide with other scheduled GASO activities.

This means we have put in place an ambitious agenda for the fall, starting immediately.  This agenda includes:

* Meeting with all council members by September 1. 

* Contacting all petition signers who signed on as "volunteers" by September 1.

* Staffing the display tent at the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival (this coming weekend).

* Enlisting 200 supporters for meeting attendance, coordinated letter writing and phone calling.

* Getting 100 physicians to sign a "Physicians Supporting Smokefree Public Places" petition (and potentially running an ad with their names).

* Scheduling a rally on the Urbana Courthouse steps on November 15 where we "roll out" a banner listing all of our 3,000 supporters (the goal by then).  

This is NOT a complete list, but includes most of the more involved activities.

If we are to accomplish all of this, WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT NOW MORE THAN EVER!

We already have the support of several council members in Urbana and a few in Champaign, so the time is ripe!  However, we have also agreed that if we don't get the support we need - either from you or from our council members - this effort can and will be aborted at any time!

To that end, we are going to begin to schedule interim planning and strategy meetings weekly to review our progress and make certain that our plan is on track.  

We will next be meeting Tuesday, August 24 at Noon at the Bread Company in Urbana on Goodwin (behind the Espresso Royale Coffee shop).  The agenda for that meeting will be a focus on the first three tasks above.  That is: Contacting Council Members, Calling volunteers, and the logistics of the Sweetcorn Festival.  

It is clear to all of us that the wonderful group of volunteers that we have - while thoroughly competent and 100% dedicated - cannot accomplish this task alone.  So PLEASE do what you can to help out with some small part of any of the above tasks.  Call me anytime at 778-2645, or come to any of our meetings to volunteer.

Thanks again for all of your help and support, and I know that together with all of you, we can make C-U Smokefree!

Sincerely,

Scott P. Hays
President
CU Smokefree Alliance
www.cu-smokefree.org