Contributed Report

DEMOPOLIS-Mrs. Julie Harrison’s third grade class was honored Tuesday as winners of the Partnership for a Healthier Demopolis’s “Keep Me Smoke Free” banner contest.

As winners, the students won a pizza party and will have their banner go on display at Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital.

Requirements for the contest were to be as creative as possible and highlight smoke free things such as cars, houses, people, restaurants and ballparks.

The winning class included Asia Chancellor, Michael Coats, Taylor Cooper, Camley Graham, Leon Jones, Addie Lambert, Darien Mackins, Jordon Marlowe, Vince Mosely, Trent Spruell, Wil Stephens, Andy Tarpley, Emmanuel Thurman, Wallace Tutt and Cody Webb.

The Partnership for a Healthier Demopolis is a coalition dedicated to reducing tobacco use among Demopolis residents, as well as, providing intervention for youth. Specifically, PHD strives to eliminate exposure to the health hazards of secondhand smoke in public places.

Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. For every eight smokers the tobacco industry kills, it takes one nonsmoker with them. People are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, workplace and in public venues such as bars, bowling alleys and restaurants.

The Partnership for a Healthier Demopolis is a collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society, Bryan Whitfield Memorial Hospital, the Demopolis Chamber of Commerce and the Marengo County Health Department.

To join, or for more information, please contact Mitchell Snipes, chair, at (334) 289-4000 or Niko Phillips, tobacco coordinator, at (334) 874-2550.