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Former Ferry Farm Elementary School student returns to his "stomping grounds" to tell kids about the dangers of second-hand smoke. Date published: 11/25/2008
By CATHY DYSON Adam Bray had one question when he returned to Ferry Farm Elementary School. When did the ceilings get so low? Before last week, Bray hadn't been inside the Stafford County facility since he was a student there. He came back as a grown-up, a 29-year-old who wants to reach out to young people who live and play in the same place he did. Bray just became the Fredericksburg director of Virginians for a Healthy Future, a coalition that includes such heavy-hitters as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association. He works from his home in downtown Fredericksburg. On Nov. 20, Great American Smokeout Day, Bray organized a session for about 300 students at Ferry Farm. He and others in the coalition focused on the dangers of secondhand smoke. Bray has been campaigning against smoking since he was a teenager. Before he graduated from Mary Washington College in 2002, Bray worked as an intern for a faith-based agency that pushed national legislation against smoking. In the years after graduation, he worked out west--in Washington and Texas--with nonprofit groups that addressed issues such as social justice or environmental concerns. After he got his master's degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., Bray took the job with the Virginia group. "I'm one of those people, that whatever I work on, I get really excited and passionate about it," Bray said. "But smoking is one of those things I see as a moral issue." He cites national studies that suggest a casual experiment with smoking often turns into a strong addiction, well before age 18. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reports that one third of kids who try cigarettes will be regular smokers before they leave high school. Bray wants to change those statistics, starting on the local level. For his first program as Fredericksburg's director of the coalition, he chose Ferry Farm. "It's my old stomping grounds," he said. He enjoyed watching third-, fourth- and fifth-graders clap to guitar music and a tune about secondhand smoke making them sick. He was glad they grimaced when organizers explained that secondhand smoke is almost as toxic as the real thing. It includes thousands of chemicals--including the kinds in rat poison, formaldehyde and nail-polish remover. Administrative assistant Julie Little didn't work in Ferry Farm's office when Bray attended the school--she's been there for nine years--but she knows him through other activities. Bray has a band and works to provide young artists safe--and smoke-free--places to play through shows with a group called Fredericksburg All Ages. "He just wants them to lead a good life, and he's always there supporting them," Little said. "I can't say enough good things about Adam Bray. The Fredericksburg area is lucky to have him." Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Date published: 11/25/2008
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