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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

All about the ALA

I've wanted to make a post about some of the great things the American Lung Association does. At our April climb meeting they had a couple of people come in a talk to us about what they do.

T.A.T.U. (Teens Against Tobacco Use) I got really excited about this program. But you know me and kids. This program trains middle and high school kids to go in and teach elementary kids why they shouldn't smoke or use other tobacco products. Monica Nelson of the ALA spoke with us about her program. She did an experiment with us that she does with the kids to give them an idea of what smoking can do to you. Emphysema is a result of smoking for many years. She had us breathe through coffee straws with our noses plugged. I couldn't do it, it has so hard for me to breathe that I had to stop earlier that she said to. It makes me empathize with people that are suffering from COPD and emphysema. There is no way that I will be smoking! I think it’s awesome that they have a program to go out there and educate our youth about the dangers of smoking.

Master Home Environmentalist- This program is to help people identify if the air quality in their homes are safe. Many people may be exposed to household chemicals, lead, pesticides, dust mites and other allergens in their home. MHE train volunteers to go out to people's homes to do an assessment. They can help make an action plan and prioritize steps in creating a healthier home environment. Gavin's boss at Grouparchitecture, Scott LaBenz, is going through this training. We are really excited that his firm is getting into helping people have clean air in their homes. Casey, the supervisor for this program, was telling us that some house's air quality is worse than the air quality outside! People may be suffering from respiratory symptoms and may not realize that it could be from their own home! The home health assessment is free!

The ALA has many other great programs going on as well. I don't want to make this post too long so maybe I'll post another one again in the future. I just wanted to share with you all the great things that the ALA does and why we are so excited to be raising money for them. I'll be honest; they've got me thinking into becoming an adult T.A.T.U educator. I think it sounds like a ton of fun!

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