Initially,
we called our local hospital's Director of Marketing, and invited them
to co-sponsor a "well known speaker who
would likely be covered by local news media." Later, the hospitals were thrilled with
the positive front page news coverage
they
received in one of Chicago's largest papers.
Mr.
Reynolds’ evening presentation
for community members was also a great success. I can assure you, he has no connection whatsoever
to the tobacco industry!
I
attended all of Patrick Reynolds’ talks here. I was impressed as he consistently
created an emotional bond with his audiences, as he told his personal story
of watching
his father die from emphysema, when Patrick was 15.
Interacting
frequently with the students as he spoke, he skillfully took them on a journey
of revelation, opening their eyes to nicotine addiction, and the deceptive
advertising and marketing practices directed at youth by the tobacco companies.
The overheads he used were convincing and effective.
Through his
inspiring talk and polished story-telling, Mr. Reynolds gave youth here
a motivating and informative health lesson, which follows CDC-guidelines.
In
each of the schools he visited, he received tremendous praise from students
and staff. Later, students continued to learn as health teachers
and school nurses used his follow-up discussion guide in classrooms.
I wholeheartedly
recommend this gifted speaker and his program. We plan to bring Mr. Reynolds
back.
Mr.
Reynolds also offers a "Town Meeting" about local tobacco issues. Thanks for considering what I feel is a wonderful program idea.
After
his opening story about his own father's absence, and the sadness
and anger he felt as a youth because of it, he asked the students,
"How many of you do not have your biological fathers living
at home with you?"
When
over 50% of the audience slowly raised their hands, our students
seemed to realize that these shared emotions cross all economic
and social borders -- and a bond was formed.
After
that, the students listened quietly and respectfully, and I could
see real interest in their faces, as they related to his overheads
and the moving stories he told, so very effectively and skillfully.
Given
my experience with our student body at assembly programs, it was
an amazing achievement.
Mr.
Reynolds is a very polished and motivating speaker. He relates
exceptionally well to teens from all backgrounds. I would highly
recommend him to other schools.
Hali
Rosen, Drama Teacher
Hawthorne High School
Hawhorne, CA
Your
presentation to 1,000 students, bussed here from 8 schools, produced
rave reviews from every faculty sponsor that attended. I really
enjoyed meeting you and wanted to let you know that the studets
in my club (SWAT Students Working Against Tobacco) were very motivated
by your presentation. They would quote you and remind the students
they presented to about your talk.
George
Walker
Murphy High School
Mobile, Alabama
Feedback
from students and teachers was excellent. This speaker was really
outstanding, and people should know about him. He gave a truly
excellent program which I believe made a difference with our students.
Mr.
Reynolds opened with his childhood memories of his own father
RJ Reynolds, Jr. dying from smoking. He stressed to students how
addictive tobacco is.
He
enlightened them with a new awareness of how movie stars set a
bad example for youth when they make smoking look cool on screen.
During
his talk, he interacted with students. At one point he called
up two volunteers from the audience. Mr Reynolds presented a detailed
section on tobacco advertising, using humorous overheads, including
Joe Camel dying in a hospital bed. He let students know that convenience
stores actually receive monthly fees for countertop displays of
tobacco, and that they are often at child eye level, next to the
candy and chewing gum.
His
telling of the moving story of Sean Marsee was especially skillful.
The effect on our students was obvious. Marsee was the high school
track star who died from chewing tobacco at age 19. During this
section, Mr Reynolds showed before and after photos of Sean which
made some of our students gasp. He closed with his own positive
vision and promise of the coming smokefree society.
Lupe
Lopez in Mr. Reynolds' office tells me that local hospitals and
tobaccofree coalitions often join to co-sponsor the entire cost
of this program, so there may be no impact on your budget.
Denny
R. Vincent, Principal
Muhlenberg North High School
Past President, National Association of Secondary School Principals
Greenville, KY
Patrick
Reynolds speaks from his heart and his past when he unfolds his
family story about tobacco. He is a dramatic and sincere advocate
for children's well being when he speaks out about the physical,
emotional, and social toll that tobacco charges its victims. His
two presentations before hundreds of middle and high school youth
in Greenville, SC, were dynamic, thought-provoking, and touching.
His commentary shattered the allure and mystic of tobacco for
many of our students as they verbalized their wishes for family
members to stop smoking. In evaluations, several students mentioned
that they were going to stop smoking--or glad that they had--because
of Mr. Reynolds' presentation. He helped to get our message out
to students: "Tobacco kills."
Dr. Susan Achilles
Director of Federal Programs
The School District of Greenville County
Greenville, SC
Patrick
Reynolds spoke at a Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas regional
youth meeting on April 15th, 2002 at the Nettleton High School
in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Mr. Reynolds is a dynamic speaker, and
not only does he have an intriguing personal testimony, but he
has an admirable drive for tobacco prevention. Also, his overhead
projections were effective in telling his story. For example,
the before and after photos of Sean Marsee, the track star who
died at 19 from spit tobacco, combined with Mr. Reynolds telling
his story in a particularly moving way, captivated and moved the
audience. In addition, the Teachers Class Discussion Guide his
office provided teachers with an excellent guide for follow-up
class discussion.
A
very positive article in the Jonesboro Sun, and coverage by local
KAIT Channel 8 news, brought the tobaccofree message to the wider
Jonesboro community. Mr. Reynolds' inspiring message of hope for
the future near the end of his talk, and his conclusion, "So
hold on to your health for the amazing, wondrous years ahead of
you in the 21st Century!" may have indeed helped to motivate
many of the students to stay healthy.
We
were pleased with Patrick Reynolds' skills as a speaker and have
invited him back, to speak at our statewide Teen Summit on October
23rd at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock.
Jill Presley Cox
Youth Coordinator
Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas
Little Rock, AR
Patrick
Reynolds has a real drive toward helping youth understand the
addictive side of tobacco, and what the tobacco industry has done
to target them as users. I watched as the kids were listening,
and absorbing what he had to say. I work in a prevention program,
and enjoyed watching someone of his caliber as a motivational
speaker mesmerize his young audience. He is an honest speaker
with a heartfelt mission.
The
vice-principal of our school, Dan Hill, told me he was very impressed,
and thought many of our kids left the auditorium with a new view
of tobacco. Dan Boone of the Peninsula Tobacco Alliance was so
impressed he has called a meeting to look for a grant to bring
Mr. Reynolds back to our community, so he can share his message
with many more of our villages.
Charlene
Florence
Ninilchik Traditional Council
Youth Alcohol Program Manager
Southern Peninsula Tobacco Alliance
Ninilchik, AK
The
evaluations on his program were great! The kids gained much in
the way of information and emotional connection. He recently spoke
at our teen summit at Cal Poly Pomona, to over 150 students from
several high schools. The students found him to be dynamic, interesting,
and almost all indicated in their evaluations that Mr. Reynolds
had impacted their lives and influenced their choices not to smoke.
Nancy
Ballantine
Rowland Unified School District
Rowland Heights, CA
"Many
students who enroll at Somerset are considered 'at risk' of failure,
for various reasons, and many do not have the luxury of parental
advice and support. Working at Somerset as long as I have, I rarely
have seen the kind of student attention given to the advice Patrick
Reynolds gave to them today. I know that his words changed, or
at least, softened the hearts of our students."
Ruben
Presiado, Assistant Principal
Somerset High School
Bellflower, CA
"Somerset High School had the opportunity to hear Patrick
Reynolds' awesome speech, 'The Truth About Tobacco.' Our students
are at risk individuals, and the response to his presentation
made a great impact on many of them. A discussion was held in
class following his presentation. The students explained that
more teens need to be made aware of the effects of smoking. The
pictures and story of Sean Marsee seemed to have made an incredible
effect on several individuals. Bravo Mr. Reynolds, for all your
efforts. How many lives would have been spared if the truth was
made known much sooner. The speech was wonderful."
Elaine
Manneh
Somerset High School
Bellflower, CA
"Nice
job at Mayfair High School today! The kids seemed really engaged."
Debby
Caldarella
Office of the Superintendent
Bellflower School District
Bellflower, CA
Patrick
Reynolds' presentation was extremely informative and interesting.
The students found him very entertaining as well. Patrick has
a way of relating to the teenagers and involving them in his presentation.
His message was of great importance, and I think had a very good
influence on the students. I would highly recommend Patrick for
any group, any age level, to speak on tobacco addiction.
Carroll
Thetford, Principal
Nettleton High School
Nettleton, AR
Mr. Reynolds is an energetic and enthusiastic speaker. His dynamic
presentation style captivated our audience of intermediate level
elementary students.
His
real-life example of a young person who chose to chew showed the
students specifically what can happen to young, healthy people
when they use tobacco.
Mr.
Reynolds told the sad, impactful story of how a promising young
athlete, [Sean Marsee] was destroyed as a result of his tobacco
use. The before and after photos of this boy were very effective
in showing his transformation from a youngster with perfect health,
to a grotesque, disfigured and sad young man after surgery. This
drove the point home. The visuals used were very effective.
Another
effective part of the presentation was the time devoted to advertising
for tobacco products. Mr. Reynolds made it abundantly clear to
the children that advertising of cigarettes has been aimed at
children to recruit them as new smokers -- if not today or tomorrow,
in the next few years. Joe Camel and Marlboro Country were used
as excellent examples to make this point.
The
interactive style that Mr. Reynolds used encouraged the children
to be involved, through the raising of hands and asking of questions.
Students were given strategies for dealing with smoking by friends
and parents/adults.
Mr.
Reynolds also shared a wonderful, uplifting vision of the world
that everything will work out, and that the youth in the audience
are the voice of the future. He emphasized that students will
have many good years ahead of them, and that they should not smoke
or use drugs, because they will need their good health "in
the wondrous and amazing years ahead." This is an excellent reason
for youth to stay smoke and drug free, and no one has made that
point here before. It was inspiring to all of us.
Mr.
Reynolds got two thumbs up from the teachers and staff at our
school.
Mr.
Mike Coulahan, Principal
Monroe Center Grade School
Monroe Center, IL 61052
I
want to thank you again for speaking today to Neenah's students
about tobacco and its harmful effects. Your enthusiasm and passion
about the topic were helpful in captivating our students' attention.
Maintaining the attention of over 500 sixth graders from Neenah's
two middle schools, as well as the students visiting from one
of Neenah's private schools, is not an easy task, but I feel you
accomplished this with a great deal of success.
It
was evident in the students' questions at the end of your speech
that they were quite interested in what you had to share with
them. I believe you made them think about their own use (or non-use),
their friends' use, and their parents' use of tobacco, as well
as ways to influence, or say no, to others.
After
seeing you speak today and the positive approach you used with
our students, I would not hesitate to recommend you to other schools.
Thank you for caring about kids.
Mary
M. Lofy, Assistant Principal
Shattuck Middle School
Neenah Joint School District
Neehah, WI
I
discussed your talk at our high school with each of my classes,
mostly freshmen, juniors, and seniors, about 75 students in
all. The kids were very impressed with your personal history,
very impressed with the story of the high school student who
dipped tobacco and got cancer, and very impressed with the "subvertising"
spoof ads that you showed. I understand that your talk to the
Middle School really had an effect on the students there. You
are fighting the good fight. I personally learned a lot, and
found the experience quite worthwhile.
Mark Dreessen, High School Teacher
University of Chicago Labratory High School
Chicago, IL
On
November 2, 2001, Patrick Reynolds spoke to a group of about 2,000
students from Wausau West High School and Nothland Lutheran High
School in the Wausau West Fieldhouse. His presentation was a factual
testimony about how the tobacco industry entices young people
to start smoking, and the debilitating effects smoking or chewing
tobacco can have on the human body. Based on how attentive the
students were during his presentation, I would say his program
was extremely effective.
I would highly recommend that any school or other organization
working with youth strongly consider having him give his presentation
to their students. His message had an impact on our students,
and his presentation style was extremely effective in holding
students' interest and attention. The terrible effects of smoking
or chewing are well documented from a scientific standpoint are
well documented, but getting students to listen and act on that
information is extremely difficult.
He definitely provided our students with the facts in a way that
will cause some of them to never take up the use of tobacco. If
he ever needs a reference from a school administrator on the effectiveness
of his program, I would be more than happy to write a reference
letter.
Paul
Brusky, Principal
Wausau West High School
Wausau, WI
Patrick Reynolds just completed his presentation at Wausau East
High School. He presented to approximately 1200 students in an
all school assembly. His presentation was outstanding. In addition
to his important, lifesaving message, Mr. Reynolds' visual aides
and his dynamic, emotional, and personal speaking style was captivating.
For one solid hour, you could have heard a pin drop in our auditorium.
Numerous staff and students stopped me after the presentation
to compliment his message and delivery style. As principal, I
highly recommend Mr. Patrick Reynolds to any high school in the
state of Wisconsin. He is truly an outstanding speaker.
Bradley J. Peck, Principal
Wausau East High School
Wausau, WI
As the grandson of the founder of the R. J. Reynolds tobacco conglomerate,
Patrick Reynolds brings a unique perspective to his anti-tobacco
message. As he spoke to our students recently, his passion for
healthy living was obvious. Because of these factors, his plea
to youth to abstain from tobacco use is particularly meaningful.
Students listen to his personal story of the confusion he felt
as a youth upon the tobacco-influenced death of the father he
barely knew. Speaking from such an acute experience lends credence
to Patrick Reynolds's message.
Randall
C. Nichols
Superintendent Clarksville Community School District
Clarksville, IA
On Thursday, November 8, 2001, Patrick Reynolds presented "The
Truth About Tobacco" to over 1,000 students in grades 6 through
8, at the James Williams Junior High School in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Today I had the opportunity ask students and staff their thoughts
on Pat's presentation. The responses were extremely positive.
Pat had several important messages for young people. He was able
to keep their attention during the 35 minute presentation. His
slides, enthusiasm and personal experiences helped to open their
eyes and possibly change the direction many young people are choosing.
We would recommend Patrick Reynolds to present in any similar
type of situation. Thank you Patrick Reynolds... you're doing
the right thing!
Mr. Dave Wall, Principal
James Williams Junior High School
Rhinelander, WI
