The American Cancer Society has a dream for people to stop smoking forever.

Since 1977, the ACS has sponsored the Great American Smokeout, an event to help people quit smoking and challenge people to stop using tobacco.

“This event raises many positive effects of quitting smoking,” said Matthew Delance, the president of NIU’s Colleges Against Cancer. “It’s also a way to draw attention to the deadly effects of tobacco.”

The Great American Smokeout will take place today. Health Enhancement Services/University Health Services will offer students Quit Kits, which are available at the UHS and outreach sites such as the Office of Campus Recreation and the Holmes Student Center. The kits contain information about quitting smoking and supplies to help students deal with urges to smoke, such as bottled water, gum and mints.

Students who want additional support after picking up a kit have the option of meeting with a smoking cessation coach to work on strategies to help them quit successfully.

As part of the program, students may also be given the option of trying a sample pack of nicotine replacement gum or the patch to improve their chances for success.

“At NIU, we support the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout efforts by promoting smoking cessation services to students on campus and encouraging them to quit for the Smokeout,” said Mary Strohm, a health educator at Health Enhancement Services. “These services are available all year, but we tend to do more promotion and publicity during the week of the Smokeout.”

Delance, a sophomore marketing major, also wants students to know that the Great American Smokeout helps point people toward the right direction to receiving information.

“The Great American Smokeout is held to tell people that it is never too late to give up smoking,” Delance said. “From the day that somebody quits, their body starts to experience positive effects.”

Many informational pamphlets will be handed out around campus in honor of the event.

“This program has helped to bring about dramatic changes in American’s attitudes toward smoking, which have led to community programs and smoke-free laws that are now saving lives in many states,” Delance said.