When thinking of parties, the first three words that come to mind are usually not “celebrating healthy choices” (at least, not good parties). Last Monday, however, the folks at Leave the Pack Behind threw a party to celebrate just that.
In January, the campus smoking cessation group launched “Let’s Make a Deal,” a six-week contest that culminated in the celebration on Monday night for all of its contestants, as well as draws for the lucky winners. There were four categories in which to compete, spanning the entire smoking spectrum. “Don’t Start and Win” was for non-smokers who stayed that way; “Party Without the Pack” targeted social smokers who only smoked while drinking, “Keep the Count” aimed to reduce the number of cigarettes regular smokers consumed by half; and “Quit for Good” was for those who wanted to stop completely.
There was nary a drink in sight, and definitely no ashtrays, but the pizza was hot, the juice was flowing, and the contestants weren’t grumbling. Spencer Adams, a third-year student and contestant in the “Keep the Count” category, signed up for the contest at his residence, enticed by the prize money offered. His hopes were fulfilled when he won second prize in his category, about $100 that had been donated by U of T students on the street, still in its original form of change in a shoebox.
Marie Richer, also a third-year student and contestant in the “Don’t Start and Win” category, was another winner. “It all started with a pack of gum,” she says of her decision to sign up at a Leave the Pack Behind booth in Sid Smith six weeks ago. Having successfully stayed a non-smoker, it ended with a $30 gift certificate from Dominion.
“Leave the Pack Behind is a government-funded program that runs on many campuses across Canada,” explained Lee Nesseth, the campus program coordinator. “It’s unique because it’s designed specifically for students. Everyone involved in the group is a student, and almost all the staff are former smokers themselves, so there’s a lot of peer support.” For the contest, funding came from all sources, notably SAC and the Department of Health Science.
The grand prize was $500, won by one lucky ex-smoker who had “Quit for Good.” Moved to make a speech, he thanked the group for helping him change his life, and of course, for helping him save his wallet.
