21,000 slippers for 21,000 lives

In Hawaiʻi, 21,000 keiki alive today will ultimately die from smoking unless current smoking rates decline. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

To bring attention to this tragic figure, the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i Youth Council is working on collecting 21,000 pairs of new slippers to represent these lost lives. Schools, businesses, and organizations on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui and the Hawai‘i Island are holding collection drives.

It’s not too late for you to get involved – if you know a group that wants to support their efforts, email youthcouncil@hiphi.org. They will provide the collection box so all you need to do is promote it with your group. Donors are encouraged to write the name of a loved one who has been negatively impacted by smoking or vaping on a small piece of paper, and attach it to the slippers. A public display at Windward Mall is scheduled from January 9 – 30th and they hope to secure sites on other islands as well.  After the public displays are completed, all slippers will be donated to groups working with houseless or other at-risk youth.

21,000 pairs is a large amount, but so are the number of keiki who will die from tobacco-related illness if we don’t take action. The Youth Council believes these deaths could be minimized with the elimination of flavored tobacco products, which attract keiki, and making them less accessible to youth by regulating e-cigarettes in the same manner as other tobacco products. For more information on their policy priorities for 2022 and to endorse their efforts go to flavorshookkidshi.org.