ATTENTION NEWS ROOM

Group to give away one ton of gasoline

With gasoline prices hovering around two dollars per gallon, a health awareness group in a small North Carolina county is giving away a big prize: one ton of gasoline.

Called the Great One-Ton Gas Giveaway, the 324-gallon prize will be awarded during a drawing in the next few months to encourage participation in the ambitious yearlong health awareness project Columbus County Drops a Ton.

Entry is free in the community project, where the collective goal is for residents to pledge to shed 2,000 pounds of weight. Wrapped in a broader initiative named Fit in 2005, the project also challenges participants to adopt several healthy habits.

The prize, 324 gallons of regular-grade unleaded gasoline, has been donated by local convenience store and grocery store owner Dewey Hill.

"I love Columbus County," Hill said. "I've lived here all my life, and I want to see our people grow up healthy, wealthy and wise." The project aims to improve health habits in a county that ranks among the worst in the state for Diabetes and among the worst in the nation for heart disease and stroke.

The project has been endorsed by the county hospital and health department as well as the county government, which recognized in a proclamation an alarming recent trend; that between 1995 and 2002, the rate of Diabetes among North Carolinians had increased by 75 percent.

Participants in the project select five healthy habits out of 26 in an "A to Z" list, encouraging them to do things like; quit smoking, take up bicycling, exercise, get yearly medical exams and eat more fruits and vegetables.

"We´re not really asking for anything new," said organizer Mark Gilchrist. "We´re just taking the same things people in the health field have been promoting and are making it all fun for a year."

"This project has become an exciting opportunity for people to change their lives in good ways," said Janice Young, of the local chamber of commerce, a sponsor of the event. "We came up with the early prize of gasoline to encourage people to sign up and to sign up sooner, and it has really caught their attention."

The one-ton theme has become so appealing that other similar prizes will be awarded at the project´s end, including a ton of bricks, newspapers, firewood, building materials and bottled water. The grand prize will be a used pickup truck donated by a local Ford dealer.

More information on the project can be found at: www.dropaton.org or at: (910) 642-9797 ext. 2005.

September 23, 2004

ATTENTION NEWS DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

Collective weight-loss program invites county residents to lose a ton of weight.

Can the residents of Columbus County, North Carolina really lose 2,000 pounds of weight next year? That´s what organizers are planning with Columbus County Drops A Ton.

"Winners" in the event, where participants may also choose to drop unhealthy habits such as smoking or poor diets, will win ton-related prizes, including a pickup truck.

"That truck, it might be a clunker," said organizer Mark Gilchrist. "But we´ll have something." Other prizes planned are a ton of bricks, gravel, animal feed, bottled water – even manure fertilizer.

The local newspaper, a twice-weekly, will give away 18 one-year subscriptions, or one ton of newspapers. "We´re sticking to that one-ton theme," Gilchrist said. "It´s pretty easy and fun."

The timing is right for this event, as the nation realizes it is in the middle of an obesity crisis, with two-thirds of adults overweight. Out of more than 800 health service areas in the nation, the four-county area with Columbus County ranks seventh in coronary heart disease and ninth in stroke.

Governments and businesses realize the burdens of lost productivity, increased medical insurance premiums and low morale associated with illnesses related to obesity and poor health. These problems are brought on by decades of bad habits, and the goal of the project is to address those habits.

"The biggest prize is a new healthier you", said organizer Deborah Albritton, Director of Columbus County Healthy Carolinians. "Small lifestyle changes can make a tremendous positive impact on your total health." She added that the real goal of the project is for people to; "gain a ton of knowledge" on healthy lifestyles.

The county government, including hospital, health department and schools will be involved, as well as businesses, organizations and churches. Participants will organize teams through these groups.

Contact information