NORWICH – The Tobacco Free Coalition held an open house and awards ceremony Friday in the ballroom at the Howard Johnson’s Hotel. The event brought together Tobacco Free Coalition members and area business and community leaders who have supported a tobacco-free environment.

Tobacco Free Chenango Program Coordinator James Mutabiilwa explained that several other organizations, along with Tobacco Free Chenango, make up the Tobacco Free Coalition; including Tobacco-Free Healthy Schools, Team Act and Reality Check.

Working together, the organizations attempt to address issues of tobacco dependency, education, marketing toward youth and health issues by working with different parts of the population in different ways.

Jennifer Hillman, the School Tobacco Policy project coordinator, is currently working with three area schools, and is in the process of setting up programs at the other schools in Chenango County. Through her program, Hillman works with educators to create and enforce better policies for the schools and to help the schools enforce those policies, with both students, staff and the community.

“The biggest violators of the tobacco policy are generally visitors,” Hillman said. “It’s hard for the districts to enforce, but the policy for schools in no tobacco use on the property, 24 - seven.” To help inform visitors of the policy, the schools program provides free signage and provides education about the policies.