[C-U Smokefree] Updates from the Prez

[Scott Hays]

Hi to all who yearn to breathe free!

There's a lot I could say here and a lot going on. 
It's difficult even for me to keep up - but here's a
synopsis of things going on. I'll try to keep it
brief, but that'll be tough...

Most importantly is the upcoming Champaign City
Council meeting this Tuesday evening, June 21 at 7pm. 
With last Tuesday's no vote, we were the victims of
politics that none of us really understand, but we
will demand a public re-vote to hold the Study Session
on smokefree public places Tuesday night, and at least
one council member has agreed to recirculate the
petition.  We should still have our four votes and
only need one more.  But we need all of you to be
there to show council that the public is WATCHING them
and they cannot get away with shadowy deals.  So
please come.  

Some people have asked for the location, it is:

Champaign City Council Chambers
102 N Neil St, Champaign
NE Corner of Neil and University
Park in bank lot NW of Neil and University

Another important event is that CU Smokefree is now
OPEN FOR BUSINESS.  We now have a bank account at CIB
and can accept contributions - while we will kickoff a
more serious fundraising effort in weeks to come with
larger contributors and others, if anyone wishes to go
ahead and make a contribution, just send a check to:

CU Smokefree Alliance
815 N. Randolph
Champaign, IL 61820

At this point, contributions of $10, $20 or more would
be most welcome.  

To get things rolling, Carol and I will kick things
off with a matching contribution for each new
contribution up to a maximun of $200, so please
contribute now and double your money!

We proudly announce the official support of the
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT.  In a
unanimous vote, they agreed to endorse our cause. 
Many of you know that we began as an initiative of the
Champaign County Tobacco Prevention Coalition, which
is an initiative of CUPHD, but up to now, CUPHD has
never given their official support. We are very
pleased to have them on board!

Another major event is the upcoming TASTE OF
CHAMPAIGN. We welcome all members and supporters as
volunteers at our booth - even if you just want a nice
place to hang out for an hour or two and meet other
members of our Alliance.  We will be handing out CU
Smokefree fans and collecting signatures, encouraging
supporters to contact council members with a new
postcard campaign, and perhaps even accepting
contributions.  Please contact Kristin and tell her
when you'd be willing to volunteer at:
krgibbs at uiuc.edu

I wanted to inform members of the online NEWS-GAZETTE
POLL from last Thursday.  Of 848 responding, 73% voted
yes to the question "should there be a law banning
smoking in public places?"  This is an amazing result
and should give all of us reason to keep pressure on
public officials.

Also, look for an exciting new FULL PAGE AD in
Tuesday's News-Gazette sponsored by the ALA of
Illinois.  We want to thank them profusely for their
support in this fashion.  

It looks to me like press coverage of this issue is a
daily phenomenon, and if you haven't checked out the
Buzz this week, you should. We are the feature story.

All humility aside, I am proud to say that this past
Friday, I was the recipient of an "American Heart and
Stroke Heroes" award from the AHA.  I view this award
as a recognition of all of our efforts here in
Champaign and Urbana and a reminder that many people
around the state are very proud of the work we are
doing here in Champaign and Urbana. Let's keep it up!

Upcoming events include our weekly meeting at Ned
Kelly's next Wednesday, June 22 at 5:30 pm.  Come to
our meeting and order a delicious smokefree dinner
while you're here.

And on that note, we are tentatively scheduling a
fundaiser at Ned Kelly's for the evening of July 11. 
John Schmitt has promised to donate 10% of the
proceeds  for all meals sold that evening, so plan on
a dinner out on a Monday!

Thanks as usual to all of you supporters!

CU Smokefree!

Prez Scott

www.cu-smokefree.org
sphcusmokefree at yahoo.com
778-2645


		
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