Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action (Formerly Kick Butts Day)

Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action, formerly known as Kick Butts Day, is a day of activism that occurs every spring, empowering people to speak out against the tobacco industry. It has been organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids since 1996.

What’s COCA Doing to Celebrate Take Down Tobacco Day this year?

In 2023, Prevention Specialist Teresa Detweiler will once again partner with Reading Senior High School’s JROTC students to organize a series of school-wide awareness events in March.

Photos from 2023

For several years, our prevention specialists have partnered with Reading Senior High School’s JROTC students to organize a series of school-wide awareness events over a two-day period. These include a “butt” pickup, in which JROTC students scour the school grounds for cigarette butts and other tobacco litter.

Events culminate with a lunch-time festival that involves all students in grades 9 through 12. During the festival, students can play tobacco jeopardy, peruse displays about the contents of a cigarette, and make a pledge on a graffiti wall about why they choose not to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products. Participating students receive giveaways such as no-smoking lollipops, stickers with facts and statistics, and literature (comic books, etc.).

For the past two years, due to COVID-19, we have not been able to visit schools in person. However, our commitment to teaching students about the dangers of nicotine has not wavered, and we have held virtual programming, including the video lesson below.