Collier County school district launches anti-vape campaign in time for Friday night football

A Southwest Florida school district rolled out a new anti-vaping campaign—during Friday night football.

One in four teens answered “yes” to the question, “Do you vape on a regular basis?”

Now, the Collier County Public School District is part of a group trying to change that.

And what better place to send an important message than at Friday night football.

“Don’t be fooled by the flavoring. E-cigarettes have a high concentration of nicotine,” said Dr. Kamela Patton, superintendent of schools.

Under the Friday night lights, some important voices broke through the sounds of football fans.

“I’m Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and I’m asking you to keep Collier safe and healthy.”

All of them sending an important message about vaping through several different media platforms.

“What we see every day in Collier County mirrors the national epidemic,” said Chad Oliver, PIO for Collier County Schools.

Now that nearly three dozen people have died from vaping, parents are worried about their children.

“Especially with three boys and one in college and I believe he’s vaping. I’ve been trying to get him to stop so I think it’s good the kids are also aware of it,” said Maria Estrada of Naples.

But, they are thankful to see these departments being a positive influence for the kids.

“I feel the more they know about it and see it, they’ll get the message,” said Estrada.

“Today is a great day to quit,” said Scott Burgess, CEO of the David Lawrence Center. “Start the conversation.”

The Collier County School District is the only district in the area doing something like this throughout so many different platforms.

After football season, they plan on playing more messages at other athletic events.