Atikokan man wins $3,000 prize for quitting smoking

News Release
NWHU

Gary Ashbee of Atikokan won a $3,000 gift card from Future Shop, one of the 7 regional prizes in the Canadian Cancer Society’s Driven to Quit Challenge. Gary’s support buddy, Wayne Anderson received a $250 gift certificate from Future Shop in recognition of the support he provided to the winner during the Challenge. Gary was among more than 26,600 adult daily smokers across Ontario who entered the contest and quit for the month of March. The Driven to Quit Challenge Grand Prize winner Dianna Watson, of Copper Cliff, Ontario drove home a brand new 2008 Toyota Prius hybrid.
The annual contest has proven to be a great incentive for smokers who are thinking about quitting. “This year we had 236 smokers enter the contest from the Kenora and Rainy River Districts,” says Barb Roussin, Tobacco-Free Living Health Promoter with the Northwestern Health Unit. “Many smokers will tell you they would like to quit. The contest gives them a reason to set a quit date and helps them build a support system to succeed.”
The Driven to Quit Challenge is a health promotion campaign hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society in collaboration with local Public Health Departments. Funding for the campaign is provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the prizes for the Challenge are generously donated by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Inc.
Smokers are reminded that anytime is a good time to quit and the Smokers’ Helpline can help. It is a free, confidential service that provides you with easy access to a quit specialist who can help you develop a “quit plan” or answer your questions about quitting. Call 1-877-513-5333 or visit Smokers’ Helpline Online at www.smokershelpline.ca .