No Need to Fly Solo While Kicking Butts

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
You may have seen dozens of red Solo cups stuck into various fences around Kodiak in the past week. They spelled out the number 1,200, and were part of a nationwide campaign to stop youth tobacco use. Eighth graders Alyssa Madrid and Katie Sundseth are part of Kodiak Alaska’s Revolution Against Tobacco, also known as KARAT. They said the cups were their contribution to “Kick Butts Day,” which is today. Madrid said the number 1,200 is symbolic of how many people that die each day from tobacco use.
Madrid and Sundseth founded KARAT last summer with their friend Jade Ponte (pon-tay).
Sharon Wolkoff is the tobacco cessation specialist for the Kodiak Area Native Association and helps facilitate the KARAT group. She said thousands of youth groups around the country are doing the same thing.
Wolkoff said photos of Kodiak’s red Solo cups will be included on the website. The girls said the cups generated a lot of discussion within the community and on Facebook about tobacco usage, which was their goal.
If you’re interested in learning more about Kick Butts Day, visit the event website, at Kick Butts Day.org.