Kearney High student takes action for tobacco prevention

News

Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 12:04 pm

KEARNEY — A Kearney High School senior had a hand in planning an anti-tobacco summit at the University of Nebraska at Kearney this week.

Sheri Crosier, 17, is co-chair of the youth board of No Limits Nebraska, a youth-led and youth-driven tobacco-prevention organization. This is her second year on the youth board.

“My parents both smoke, so I’ve seen what it does firsthand,” Crosier said. “With my generation, I want that to stop. I really like (No Limits’) message. We’re not against the smokers, we’re against the tobacco companies targeting teens.”

Crosier just finished her junior year at KHS and is the daughter of William and Linda Crosier.

She joined the Kearney chapter of No Limits Nebraska as a freshman. She applied for a position on No Limits’ youth board, which has 10 youths from across the state. The board members participate in a conference call with each other once a month and have quarterly board meetings.

As co-chair of the board, Crosier said she’s responsible for helping other board members plan No Limits’ activities and going the extra mile to get things done.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” she said.

The youth board has been planning No Limits’ annual summer summit since November, Crosier said. Thirty-one students are slated to attend the summer summit, which will be Thursday to Saturday at UNK, and will listen to presentations about tobacco and will participate in a flash mob.

“It’s kind of stressful. There’s a lot that goes into it,” Crosier said of planning the summit. “We put together all of the events, sign the contracts and decide where everything is going to be. Then, we put together the presentations, and design how we want the week.”

The goal of the summit is to give students ideas for activism they can take back to their communities, she said.

In addition to the education summit, Crosier has also participated in a protest while volunteering with No Limits. On May 7, the group protested outside the venue where Philip Morris International had its annual shareholder meeting in New York City.

The day before, Crosier said she and other members of No Limits learned about tobacco companies and how to handle people approaching them at the protest.

“So people had a really negative reaction to what we doing. They were shoving their cigarettes in our face,” Crosier said. “One lady came up to me, though, and said her brother just died from tobacco use and that she appreciated what we were doing. I thought it was amazing to see how people react.”

Crosier said she plans to re-apply for the youth board next year and that she’s enjoyed her time with No Limits.

SHERI CROSIER

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