It all started with a night of bowling in Austin, Texas, when fifth-grade student Amit had an evening of fun with his grand-parents. When Amit returned to his home in Lubbock, TX, and tried to replicate his newfound recreation, his night of bowling fun ended after 10 minutes in an asthma attack. His second attempt at Lubbock bowling also brought a return of the asthma terror. He said, “My mother didn't let me go back again. This became sort of serious because I wanted to have some fun.” After Amit identified the problem as the secondhand smoke in the bowling alley, he started seeking a solution to this problem.
To redress this situation, fourth- and fifth- grade students Abby, Amit, Ben, David, Lori, Rachel, and Wade started a campaign called STIR: Stop Tobacco in Restaurants. The goal was to end smoking in public places, including restaurants, bowling alleys, sports bars, and pool halls. For 2 years they motivated their peers and coordinated an information campaign to urge kids and adults to find out about the dangers of secondhand smoke, and they eventually succeeded in passing a city ordinance banning smoking in public places.
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