Fairfax County, VA. Fairfax County Park Authority is committed to promoting 100% tobacco-free outdoor environments by partnering with Share The Air, a campaign by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), and Y Street, its largest youth-led movement. Share The Air aims to establish 100% tobacco-free parklands across the Commonwealth by assisting local parks and recreation departments with implementing voluntary, comprehensive tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies.

In 2014, Fairfax County Park Authority designated Tobacco-Free Play Zones for its athletic fields, playgrounds, and skate parks to encourage visitors to refrain from using tobacco and vape products. This proactive policy not only reduces tobacco and vape litter but also minimizes residents’ exposure to secondhand smoke and vape aerosol. It also sets a positive example for youth who visit the county’s parks and outdoor recreational areas.

Fairfax County Park Authority engaged with Y Street High School members to explore how a partnership can enhance its parks and outdoor recreational areas to provide an even better outdoor experience. Fairfax County Park Authority strives to create dedicated spaces that allow residents to be active, relax, and gather outdoors. For this reason, they expressed their support for the campaign, becoming Share The Air’s 25th partner and joining the growing list of localities with voluntary tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies. 

“Promoting healthy lifestyles and maintaining a healthy environment are key components to the central mission of the Fairfax County Park Authority,” said Executive Director Jai Cole. “In joining the Share the Air initiative, we are proud to continue our work to encourage healthy behaviors, smoke-free spaces and reduce tobacco-product litter at each of our 422 parks countywide.”

As part of its partnership with Share The Air, Fairfax County Park Authority will receive free tobacco-free signage to post to remind park visitors of the policy.

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About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares, and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

Winchester, VA – Students in Winchester are seeing significant, healthy changes as the new school year begins. Winchester Public Schools has made important updates to its School Wellness Policy to ensure students have increased access to water throughout the school day. This change will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the health and well-being of students throughout the division and their overall academic success, with 4,233 students covered under the policy revision and having access to the support they need to stay hydrated during the day. By prioritizing the well-being of its students, Winchester Public Schools is setting a great example for other school divisions to follow.

This updated policy was developed in collaboration with the Rev Your Bev campaign, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) healthy hydration campaign, and its statewide, award-winning high school program, Y Street.

Research has consistently proven that water is the healthiest beverage choice as it acts as fuel for your body. Since 2013, Rev Your Bev and Y Street have devoted and sustained efforts to spread healthy hydration messages to help individuals make drinking water a habit and improve Virginians’ overall health. Winchester Public Schools’ revised wellness policy now aligns more with Rev Your Bev’s best practices. In addition to making water available during and after school, the new policy language includes a provision for water to be made available before the school day, ensuring that students have access to water all day.

VFHY and Y Street are committed to supporting Virginia school divisions’ efforts to maintain a positive, healthy learning environment and serve as a resource for Virginia schools. “The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth is thrilled to have Winchester Public Schools join as a partner to support healthy hydration. Adequate water consumption is a great habit for youth to develop and a key component to creating positive health outcomes,” said Executive Director Marty Kilgore.

The impact of the updated policy is expected to increase students’ water consumption and promote positive, healthy hydration. Winchester Public Schools joins the growing list of divisions with comprehensive wellness policies that prioritize water access and promotion, becoming Rev Your Bev’s 18th partner. “Winchester Public Schools is excited to partner with Rev Your Bev to encourage students and staff to drink more water. We hope that by revising our wellness policy regulation to include more language around water access, we are highlighting the importance of water consumption on the overall health and well-being of students and staff members. Our School Division recognizes water as an essential nutrient, and we will continue to actively promote free, safe, potable drinking water at every school campus.” says Laurie Curry, Food Services Coordinator.

Winchester Public Schools will receive free resources such as water bottles from VFHY as part of its partnership with Rev Your Bev to support the division in implementing its updated policy.

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About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

Falls Church, VA. – The City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks recently decided to commit to providing 100% tobacco-free and vape-free parklands to provide a clean, healthy, and safe environment for all to enjoy. 

The voluntary policy change was initiated by Y Street, a program of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) and Virginia’s largest youth-led movement. VFHY and Y Street members strive to ensure Virginians have equitable access to clean and healthier outdoor environments through its campaign, Share The Air. Share The Air aims to create 100% tobacco-free parklands by encouraging local park and recreation departments and government officials to adopt voluntary, comprehensive tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies. 

Falls Church engaged with Y Street High School members to explore how a partnership can enhance its parks and outdoor recreational areas to provide an even better outdoor experience, with student representatives from Falls Church Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks spearheading the city’s efforts and communication to city council to create tobacco-free and vapor-free outdoor environments. The City of Falls Church strives to create dedicated spaces that allow residents to be active, relax, and gather outdoors. For this reason, city council members expressed support, voting to commit to promoting tobacco-free parklands that encourage visitors to refrain from using tobacco and vape products and partner with Share The Air.

The impact of their commitment is expected to reduce tobacco and vape litter and residents’ exposure to secondhand smoke, as well as promote positive role modeling for youth who visit the city’s parks and outdoor recreational areas. The City of Falls Church joins the growing list of localities with tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies, becoming Share The Air’s 24th partner. Anand Colby, a student representative from the Falls Church Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks, shared, “We want our parks to come across as clean, healthy, and welcoming for all ages.” 

As part of its partnership with Share The Air, the City of Falls Church will receive free tobacco-free signage to post as a reminder to park visitors.

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About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. 

VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares, and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.