Youth Council Cleans Up Tobacco Litter By: Robyn Chapman, Office on Youth, Youth Grant Program Manager In December, The Orange County Office on Youth in conjunction with the Orange County Youth Council held it ’ s annual Tobacco Litter Clean - Up in the Town of Gordonsville. Youth Council Members collected tobacco litter (cigarette butts, packaging, and vape pens) and four (4) bags of non - tobacco litter from Main Street and High Street in Gordonsville. Based on the average weight of a cigarette butt, it is estimated that youth collected nearly 3,700 cigarette butts in just under two (2) hours. At the spring 2022 event held in the Town of Orange, youth collected an estimated 7,500 cigarette butts. At the fall 2021 event youth collected an estimated 5,000 cigarette butts in the Town of Gordonsville. The Orange County Youth Council strives to deter tobacco use in youth and young adults. Youth Council members advocate to increase educational awareness and promote healthy habits here in Orange County and are able to do so with funding from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. The Office on Youth has resources available to help those who wish to quit the use of tobacco products. “ Quit Now Virginia ” provides free information and coaching by telephone or online to residents who want to quit smoking or using tobacco. Interested persons can dial 1 - 800 - QUIT - NOW or visit QuitNow.net/Virginia for assistance that is free and confidential and available 24 hours per day, seven (7) days per week. Orange County youth and young adults can also text VAPEFREEOC to 88709 for free and completely confidential assistance with vaping cessation. Those enrolled will receive up to twelve (12) weeks of daily text messages with assistance to select a quit date and help participants to make it to their selected quit date. The text messages show the real side of quitting, to help people feel motivated, inspired, and supported throughout their quitting process. For more information about tobacco clean - up events, tobacco prevention programming in Orange County, or programs made possible by Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth funding, please
contact Robyn Chapman, Office on Youth Grant Program Manager, at (540) 672 - 5484 ext. 1 or at rchapman@orangecountyva.gov.
Pictured right are Youth Council members enjoying pizza after the Tobacco Litter Clean - Up held in December 2022.
Page 29 | January, 2023
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