Stop Smoking Program Begins Next Month

Jennifer Pinto, associate director of employee wellness, stood before 45 people in the Medical Wellness Center in November and made a request: She wanted them to give up smoking for one day.

Only half of the attendees were smokers; the rest were friends who vowed to help support them through one smoke-free day during the Great American Smokeout.

This warm-up actually preceded a campus-wide effort planned for early February. That’s when the University will again offer a comprehensive seven-week program geared to move the campus toward becoming a smoke-free environment.

It all starts with the desire to stop, Pinto says. “If they can quit smoking one day, we could be motivated to do it for life.”

For information on BeSmokeFree, contact Jennifer Pinto at 305-243-7606.

Firefighters Donate $15,000 to UM/JM Burn Center

“As firefighters our goal is to protect life and property,” says Craig Mueller, treasurer of the Florida Firefighter Statewide Games and battalion chief of the Ocala Fire Department. “But sometimes we can’t. That’s why we give to the burn center—because when we can’t, they can.” To help ensure the best care for patients, the Florida Firefighter Statewide Games recently donated $15,000 to the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Burn Center. The donation will support patient care, research, and burn education programs.

Florida is the only state in the country that holds statewide firefighter games, which engage 70 fire departments throughout the state in sports ranging from archery to weightlifting. The games began with four fire departments in 1972 and now have up to 5,000 participants each year.

Firefighters statewide have been donating money to the Burn Center from various events for many years. The first Firefighters’ Boot Drive in 1979 gave the UM/JM Burn Center its start to build the “burn unit” into the fine center it is today. Over the years Florida firefighters have raised more than $1 million for the UM/JM Burn Center.

“Our games started here in Miami,” adds Lowell “Blackie” Ballas, president and founder of the games, “and that’s where we wanted the money to go.”