Local Children Experience Educational Puppet Show

ARC Manor Prevention Specialist Kathy Velcko introduces children to a frog who will never be kissed and will never become a handsom prince if he chooses to use tobacco during a "Why Don't Animals Smoke" presentation held at the Kittanning Library yesterday morning.

by Nathan Lasher

ARC Manor Prevention Specialist Kathy Velcko provided approximately 20 local children with the chance to witness an educational puppet show entitled “Why Animals Don’t Smoke” at the Kittanning Public Library yesterday morning.

“It is a tobacco awareness program that is geared for younger kids, Kindergarten through third grade, because we use puppets,” said Velcko. “After third grade, puppets start to lose their glamour.”

According to Velcko, the funding for the presentation comes from the Armstrong/Indiana Drug and Alcohol Commission. Organizations including the ARIN Intermediate Unit and Open Door have also shown them in the past.

“I like to use it during the summer in addition to going to the school districts during the school year because when you are in a library you have a lot of families coming in, and the kids are watching what’s going on in the world in the summer just as they are during the school year,” said Velcko. “They are reading and looking at things, and the puppet show and the storyboards really go part and parcel with the library and what we’re trying to get across, which is a positive message. You want to do healthy things, you want to read because it makes your mind grow, and you want to keep your body healthy by not using tobacco because if you are using tobacco products it’s going to keep you from reaching your goals.”

Velcko felt that speaking to kids early about tobacco use would help them to make good choices as they grow older. “All of the positive messaging is going to stick, and that’s something that I enjoy doing,” she said. “I love puppets, I love working with kids, and it’s an awesome program. I’ve been running it for about a year or so, and I’ve received a lot of positive comments. The parents like the fact that there is something to do during the summer.”

“Why Animals Don’t Smoke” is a little different from past tobacco prevention programs as it presents its own unique spin on the subject of saying no to tobacco use. “Usually when you are talking about not using drugs and tobacco, you’re not thinking about puppets and about how animals are affected,” said Velcko. “When I do cessation classes, I always talk to parents and I say, ‘You know what, if you’re smoking, your pets and kids are breathing in the second-hand smoke.’ We’re talking about why animals wouldn’t use cigarettes because it would cause damage to the different parts of their body. So, the giraffe gets a sore throat, and the gorilla becomes weak. We also talk about cows and chewing tobacco. We incorporate that if you had a cow who was chewing tobacco then it wouldn’t give good milk. It’s about how what you’re putting in your body affects what is going on in your life.”

Velcko’s presentation included a 45-minute puppet show followed by crafts for the kids. Anyone interested in reserving a presentation of “Why Animals Don’t Smoke” can contact Velcko at 724-548-7607. People interested in quitting their own tobacco use can contact the free tobacco cessation program at 724-548-7607 or visit www.determinedtoquit.com. A tobacco-free quitline is also available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.