Local Artists Design Characters for Phoenix Theatre

Through a multi-agency partnership with the Phoenix Theatre, local kids are being asked to design The Empower Pack – a trio of superheroes dedicated to the principal of making healthy life choices.

Designs can be submitted as pen & ink or pencil drawings, paintings, or computer-generated artwork. The winning entries will be used in printed materials, a Web site, and developed into costumes for a live stage performance put on by the Phoenix Theatre. Please help us engage Arizona youth to make healthy life choices by forwarding the contest flyer within your community networks:

download contest flyer

NAQC Looking for Communications Manager

The North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) has a new communication manager position available. View the job posting below for further details:

download job posting

ASHLine Launches New Web Site

The Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (ASHLine) launched its new Web site today, ashline.org.

While still offering free services to those who want to quit tobacco and providing referral resources to healthcare professionals statewide, visitors will find the site has gone through a complete facelift.

New site features include:

Real Stories
Quitting is tough and everyone’s quit attempt is different. But the fears and frustrations associated with quitting and staying quit are shared by people all around Arizona. Visitors can now watch or read stories from real people, just like them, and find out how others have successfully quit, plan to stay quit, or have found the courage to quit again. Visitors can even share their story for posting to ashline.org and future video production.

Connect-To-Quit
How do other people deal with cravings? Has anyone else quit only to start using tobacco again? Answers to these questions and more are now available at Connect-To-Quit. The forum is an online resource providing support and encouragement to those who have quit, want to stay quit, or are just thinking about quitting. Visitors are encouraged to post their own questions, comments, and take part in the ongoing conversation.

In the coming weeks and months, the Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (ASHLine) will be rolling out additional site features including a social network for quitters, download center, and further enhancements to its WebQuit program.

Yuma Teens Get Closer Look at Smoking Effects

Yuma Sun

By William Roller, Sun Staff Writer

October 22, 2009

YUMA, AZ – Arizona’s new anti-smoking campaign has a logo that creeps like a black widow spider and might possibly catch the imagination of teens so they take a more objective look at tobacco addiction. 


Sponsored by the Arizona Department of Health Services, a graphic presentation of the campaign, titled “Venomocity,” was given Wednesday by Lorraine Castro, Yuma County Health Services District employee.



Castro said she tries to counteract the glamorous pitch tobacco companies make so teens are aware of the dangers of smoking.

Aubrey Coil, 16, a Cibola High School sophomore, is one of a dozen teens who attended the Venomocity campaign at the Main Library. Aubrey said all the visuals on display were great so people could see for themselves.



Venomocity: Effective, NOW Award Winning!

ADHS BTCD’s Venomocity: Brought to you by addiction Campaign has now been viewed by nearly 300,000 12-17 year-olds on venomocity.com.



This past weekend the Campaign went from just being an effective one for reaching teens about tobacco addiction to an “award winning” Campaign! The ADHS BTCD Marketing Team received three IABC Silver Quills! The “Silver” Quills are awarded regionally (so that means our campaign/work is compared to work in all the southern U.S. states (southwest and southeast), Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Caribbean Islands. As opposed to the IABC Copper Quills that are awarded in Arizona and the IABC Gold Quills that are awarded Internationally (later in the year we will submit the Campaign for the Copper and Gold Quill levels as well).



ADHS BTCD received an IABC Silver Quill Award of Excellence for the website venomocity.com; an IABC Silver Quill Award of Merit for the Venomocity: Brought to you by addiction Marketing Plan; and an IABC Silver Quill Award of Merit for the commercials/videos “First Time,” “Cravings,” and “Surrender.”



Judges comments read at the award reception included: “Great Marketing Plan;” “Well-thought out plan and evaluation;” and “I can’t believe this came from a government agency!”



Visit the IABC Southern Region Web site for more information on all the award winners.