Q It would be real interesting to know how much of our tax dollars (so-called grants) have been spent by Clean Air Emporia. I know that they have bought many full page ads in The Gazette, purchased billboards all over town, and purchased a lot of radio time. Whereas Emporians Open for Business are not eligible for grant money and what money that has been spent has come from their own pockets. This just does not seem right to me.
A Funds used in the campaign came from Tobacco Free Kansas and, indirectly, from the Kansas Health Foundation.
Emporians for Drug Awareness received $6,400 from Tobacco Free Kansas in October 2007. EDA’s executive director, Teresa Walters, said the money was to be used for education and awareness of dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Because the money had to be spent by Sept. 30, 2008, EDA formed a subcommittee, Clean Air Emporia, so it could track expenses separately.
Some of the money was used to pay for advertising in The Gazette, The Shopper, and on radio. Some of the ads were “fact” ads; others were about exposure to secondhand smoke.
Some of the money provided materials for folders that were given to city commissioners and others, buttons, printing costs, and other promotional materials, Walters said.
“As you can imagine, advertising was the biggest portion of these expenses,” she said. “We have submitted two reports to our funders, one six months into the project and a final report in October where we outlined our activities and expenditures.”
Soon after the awareness campaign began, the Kansas Health Foundation chose Emporia as one of six Kansas communities that would target an awareness campaign on secondhand smoke, called “Smoke Is Poisonous.”
EDA did not directly receive monies from KHF to fund the campaign.
“KHF contracted with an advertising firm in Wichita to develop materials that could be used (in all six communities) to raise awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure,” Walters said.
The result was a logo design and messages used in advertising on radio, newspaper and billboards.
“(A)nd they paid for all of this themselves. None of that was funded by us in any way,” Walters said.
“We did, however, benefit from them because it was demonstrated (to most) that the fact that secondhand smoke is dangerous was not something that the Clean Air committee was making up ...”
Chase Willhite, communication officer for KHF, also said that KHF gave no funds directly to the CAE campaign.
“However, if the question is how much our public awareness campaign cost ... in the Emporia community specifically, the Foundation has invested approximately $35,000 thus far in its efforts to educate Kansans about the dangers of secondhand smoke, with that money going directly to the media outlets,” Wilhite said.
Readers with questions on topics of local interest may send them to Because You Asked, in care of The Emporia Gazette, Drawer C, Emporia KS 66801. Questions need to be signed, but names will not be revealed. Questions submitted anonymously will not be answered.
dml (anonymous) says...
So, then, where does Tobacco Free Kansas and the Kansas Health Foundation get their money from?
December 19, 2008 at 7:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Maybe some Johnson&Johnson money in there. You know the company that makes nicorette, and other stop smoking medicines. Talk about bias!
Steve
December 20, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )