Saving
the World like a Superhero
By Jannelle So
Smoke
Free Society offers young volunteers a chance to help
people quit smoking and make money at the same time.
You
think superheroes only live in minds immersed in imagination?
Think again. Saving the world may not be as
tough as you perceive it to be. You don’t have
to be a mutant to do it. You just need to be a genuinely
concerned human being. The job doesn’t require
unusual tricks or super powers; only time and dedication.
In the
end, it may not be as ambitious as saving many lives.
Taking one smoker out of the dangers of nicotine dependence
can make you feel like Superman after a victory over
his archrival Lex Luthor or Batman after outsmarting
the Joker. And hey, getting paid along the way is not
all too bad either.
The
invitation is open to anyone who wishes to volunteer
for Smoke Free Society, a non-profit organization dedicated
to helping smokers stop and preventing kids from picking
up the habit.
“Everyone
is adversely affected by smoking. Loved ones have to
do something because smokers are addicted,” pointed
out Rez Seyedin, founder of Smoke Free Society and ex-smoker.
“We all must work together, especially with the
lack of adequate funding by the federal and state governments.
As citizens, as parents, as teachers, as friends, as
neighbors, we have no choice but to work together to
fill that void and help smokers quit and educate kids
not to start."
A
Proven Way to Quit Smoking
The
core of the organization is “Proven Stop Smoking
Technique,” a book written by Rez in 1985, which
specifies techniques with which he conquered his 20-year
addiction gradually without the use of medication
or patches in just 17 days.
“At
the time, there was no desire among the public for quitting
smoking as there is today. Now we have become more aware.
Statistics and information are reaching everybody. We
realize that it is time for all of us to do more about
helping our loved ones quit smoking,” Rez added.
That’s
when he, with the help of wife, Linda, brought back
the book and the Smoke Free Society idea. Even though
the name was picked 25 years ago, to their surprise,
the website domain name was still available. He purchased
the name and started laying the foundation for Smoke
Free Society and its website www.SmokeFreeSociety.org.
“Our website is a work in progress and is very
effective and user friendly with many plans, techniques,
products and lots of information and links that can
save a lot of lives,” said Rez.
The quitting
plans are designed and developed based on their core
three-step principle: prepare, quit and get
support. These plans effectively incorporate
the services of other quit-smoking professionals and
products to help smokers quit and stay smoke free.
Tobacco:
The Silent Killer
The website
presents a lot of information about the organization
and its products, as well as current statistics about
smokers. For instance, a counter on the home page reflects
how many people have died from tobacco-related illnesses
since 2000. As of press time the figure is more than
19.5 million. And it ticks every few seconds. There
is a disturbing estimation that one out of five people
smoke. If converted, this translates to more than 1.1
million people worldwide.
Other
alarming statistics include the findings by the Air
Resources Board which indicate that women exposed to
secondhand smoke have up to a 90% greater risk of breast
cancer. John Ritter of the “USA Today” wrote
that the same report says “secondhand smoke kills
as many as 73,400 [people] a year in the USA.”
Another
frightening article on smokefreesociety.org says:
“Each day 6,000 young people will take their first
puff on a cigarette and 3,000 will become regular smokers.
One out of three of them will die from a disease caused
by smoking. Unless we do something to stop this trend,
five million young people who are alive today will die
from using tobacco.”
The
consequences of smoking remain the same except for the
changing figures; or to be more exact, the growing number
of victims. Amidst all this, some people choose to take
on a passive role – reading about the problem,
hearing about it; but not doing anything until reality
strikes them – a loved one dies of smoke-related
diseases. Others fortunately choose a more proactive
role.
“It's
no secret that smoking is hazardous to your health and
can lead to an early death. Look at all the lives cut
short by cigarette smoke -- George Harrison of The Beatles
is a prime example,” said Michael Abramowitz,
Smoke Free Society’s volunteer communications
director. “I also cringe anytime I see someone
smoking a cigarette. The harm they are doing to their
bodies and to those around them through second-hand
smoke is incredible.” And as shown on smokefreesociety.org,
the money it’s costing smokers is estimated to
be in the millions over a lifetime.
Fortunately,
there’s hope in the finding that although nearly
50 million Americans smoke, 20 million of them
are ready to quit. And 70% of women smokers
want to quit if they can get the help they need. According
to the organization’s website, Time magazine reported
that quitting smoking was the top New Year’s resolution
for 2005. But smokers can’t quit without some
help.
Enter
Superman, Batman, and other super heroes . . . or possibly,
you.
“If
you can save just one life or if together we can save
a million lives, we will have accomplished a lot. If
you help prevent just one teenager or together one million
teenagers from starting to smoke, we will have accomplished
even more,” Abramowitz said.
Get
Paid to be a Hero
Smoke
Free Society makes it possible for us common folks to
do great deeds and make decent bucks along the way through
their paid and non-paid volunteerism programs. It’s
possible for a part-time paid volunteer to earn more
than $75,000 a year by working 20 hours a week, 50 weeks
a year. Under the program, students who wish to earn
extra income to augment tuition expenses can also work
as a part-time volunteer for which they could make more
than $18,750 a year by working 10 hours a week for 50
weeks. A full-time paid volunteer could earn more than
$150,000 a year by working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks
a year.
Volunteers
receive a commission for every donation they generate
for Smoke Free Society’s stop smoking plans. Since
1 out of 5 people smoke and the other 4 want that person
to quit, at least 4 out of 5 people are eager to help
the cause. All volunteers have to do is reach people
who want to help themselves or their loved ones quit
and provide them with one of Smoke Free Society’s
life-saving plans in exchange for a donation. These
donations help fund educational programs for kids to
educate them about smoking and discourage them from
starting the habit. There are also incentives that give
points to a volunteer based on the donations s/he brings
in and her/his recruits.
At the
end of the day, you don’t only get a sense of
fulfillment from the knowledge that you’re able
to make a difference in the lives of people; you also
get paid for it. What
will your job description be? Saving lives.
And the best thing about the job is that you are your
own boss and the hours and location are entirely up
to you.
Other
volunteer work is also available. Smoke Free Society
needs volunteers and wants to hear from you on how you
can use your talents and expertise to be a part of helping
save lives. It’s time to get involved,
put your cape on and become the superhero you always
wanted to be! Please visit www.smokefreesociety.org
to learn more.
