News and Events
The Tobacco Free Partnership of DeSoto County Kicks Off
Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Strong
September 14, 2022
The mission of the Tobacco-Free Partnership of DeSoto County is to mobilize community partners to establish long-lasting system and policy changes that promote tobacco-free social norms to prevent usage of tobacco products by youth/young adults, encourage and support tobacco cessation, eliminate health hazards of secondhand smoke, and decrease the number of deaths due to tobacco products.
To protect people, especially youth, from the hazards of using and being exposed to tobacco products, we work on many initiatives here locally. TFP Members gathered on September 7th for our first Partnership meeting of the new fiscal year. We had many key stakeholders in attendance who spent time strategically planning our scope of work over the next year here in DeSoto County.
A few of the SMART goals identified were:
- Provide all residents with clean, breathable air by implementing Tobacco Free Parks Policies in City and County owned parks and recreational facilities
- Reduce the social norms associated with tobacco use in our rural community by helping various organizations adopt Tobacco Free Events and Venues policies
- Partner with DeSoto County School District to reduce youth vaping rates, particularly by strengthen board policy and encouraging our schools to utilize the free, age-appropriate online youth vaping citation courses available to elementary, middle, and high school students
- Continue to recruit new, engaged members to our TFP and SWAT Youth, as well as gain more traction by volunteering and being present at local community wide events.
In addition to laying out the focus of our year, TFP Members elected five new board members to represent our Partnership. Our TFP Board of Directors for fiscal year 2022-2023 are: Kandis Drymon, Heather Fugate, Mitchell Johnson, Andrew Proudfit, and Asya Shine.
| Kandis Drymon, born and raised in DeSoto County, married her husband shortly after graduation in 2005 and has 3 boys, Whiley, Johnathan and Levi. “I have worked in healthcare and real-estate, and I am excited to continue my passion for helping others as a Tobacco Free Partnership board member.” |  |
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| Heather Fugate serves our community as the Youth Coordinator for Drug Free Desoto Coalition. She has been married to Bryan Fugate for 9 years and has two boys, Jensen and Cole. “Having two young boys of my own, I feel a strong responsibility in helping guide our DeSoto County Youth in making good decisions. Being a vital part of the Tobacco Free Partnership is a perfect opportunity to continue investing in our future here in Desoto!” |  |
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| Mitchell Johnson, husband to Natalie for 11 years and father to Cooper (6), Lyla (4), and Maverick (3) is employed with DeSoto County School District. He is the Hope Teacher and Driver's Education Specialist at DeSoto County High School where he also coaches tennis. “I am excited to make a difference in my hometown of Arcadia. I hope to install lasting initiatives that will help my students and children.” |  |
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| Andrew Proudfit comes to us with 19 years’ experience at DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office where his current assignment is Major/ Commander of Bureaus. He has been married for 14 year and is a father to four 4 awesome kiddos. “I enjoy being part of the Tobacco Free Partnership Leadership team and am always eager to help, especially when it comes to our youth and putting health at the forefront.” |  |
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| Asya Shine is the wife of Kevin Shine and mother to Siydon. She is employed as the Coalition Coordinator for Drug Free DeSoto Coalition. “As a native to Arcadia, I’ve always had the desire to give back to my community and help others. Being a part of the Tobacco Free Partnership Board will allow me to do just that. It gives me the space and platform to help encourage others to be their best and to avoid addicting habits that could potentially lead to life destruction.” |  |
“I am extremely excited for the year ahead. We have some amazing partners in our corner who have deep invested interests in our community. I cannot thank our members enough, especially our board! Your consistent support and dedication in helping make DeSoto County a happy and healthy place to live, work, and play does not go unnoticed!” says Jodie DeLoach, Tobacco Program Manager.
If you are interested in joining our Tobacco Free Partnership, mark your calendar for our next meeting on November 9, 2022, at 10:00 AM in the Family Service Center, Room 5.
