Local teen wrapping car in anti-tobacco campaign

Sussex Technical High School junior Kelsey Magill, who is currently serving as the state chair for Kick Butts Generation (KBG), is clearly passionate about informing Delaware youths about the dangers of using tobacco and nicotine products.

Coastal Point • Submitted
Sussex Technical High School junior Kelsey Magill will have her PT Cruiser wrapped with this design.

“I’ve been involved since I was in seventh grade, and that’s when I became a member. I basically just got involved through some of my friends, who were in it,” explained Magill. “It gives me the opportunity to really go out into the community and educate people about the dangers of tobacco use. It’s something that I’m very passionate about, and it’s very close to me.”

Next week, over her spring break, Magill will be getting her PT Cruiser wrapped over to help promote KBG’s goal of preventing tobacco and nicotine use by youth.

“Basically, when I got my car, we decided it would be a good idea to get it wrapped, partially because I’ve been in leadership for a while… It just made sense.”

The colorful design, created specifically for Magill’s car, will be helping the KBG promote their new Being Informed About Smokeless Tobacco (BIAS) campaign.

“It’s something we came up at leadership retreat a few years ago, and it was only supposed to be smoking. But we turned it into smokeless tobacco, and it’s something that’s really starting to take off. We’ve been to a few different championship football games in the past few years, and it’s becoming really successful.”

The design, which was created by GillespieHall Inc., a public relations company in Delaware, will be put on Magill’s car by Bowers Signs in Dover.

“It’s something that they’ve had going on for a few years. Two other people have had their cars wrapped, as well. But the design actually changed for this wrap,” she said. “It looks really cool — it’s going to be really colorful and eye-catching and have our Web site and logos all over it. It’ll have a lot of KBG and BIAS, which is the smokeless campaign we’ve been doing. It’s going to have a lot of imagery about that.”

Magill said that, in her school, approximately 15 students attend KBG meetings, with five who serve as interns. She added that the number of youths involved varies throughout the state.

“There’s a bunch of different groups in different schools throughout the state,” explained Magill. “At the school level, we meet about twice a month. We also have intern meetings where we discuss events that we’re doing or public workshops. Basically, what we’re trying to do is prevention education. We do that a lot in the community, at different community events. I’ve been to the state fair three years in a row, health fairs and the NASCAR races at Dover Downs.”

Magill said she’s proud to work with KBG to try to reach and educate Delaware youth about the dangers of tobacco products.

“Our whole focus is to get the message out, not only about the dangers of cigarettes and smoking tobacco but also the smokeless products and the new dissolvable tobacco that companies are starting to come out with,” she said. “I can tell little kids, and even their parents and teachers, how bad it is to use tobacco products and what the tobacco companies are doing to make them want to use them. It also gives me the opportunity to work on my public-speaking skills, how to be a leader, network and meet people.”

Magill said she hopes that her involvement in KBG has been educational to her peers and has made a difference.

“I’d like to think so,” she said. “I talk to a lot of my peers and a lot of people at school about it, and definitely a lot of people when I go out into the community. You like to think you’re making a difference.”

For more information about Kick Butts Generation, visit www.ysmoke.org.