Expression of outrage pays off big

You know how it is for most people. They sit around the house and complain about the world, but never do anything about it. Too busy, they reason. No hope for change anyway.

They never even get off the couch.

Well, someone did. A group of citizens identified a problem and decided they were going to more than talk about it. They called themselves Outrage. They were outraged that nonsmokers had to inhale second-smoke in parks. They were outraged that smokers treated parks and playgrounds like giant ash trays.

They lobbied for a law to ban smoking in Utah County parks. For two years. They put in countless hours. With Outrage as the driving force, the Utah County Board of Health unanimously passed a regulation this fall to ban smoking in county parks countywide, effective in January.

Outrage members were elated. They screamed and jumped up and down in celebration.

The next day they went to school, as usual.

Which is what you do when you're only 15 years old.

The smoking regulation passed because of a bunch of kids. They were 13 when they started the project to get smoking banned in parks; now they're high school sophomores.

"I almost cried when it passed," said Outrage member Brianna Tello.

The project began when the Utah County Board of Health asked Jen Tischler, a health department tobacco prevention and health educator, to form an anti-tobacco group. She circulated fliers in schools looking for volunteers. About 15 of them signed up for the job.

The kids had their own reasons for joining. Springville High's Logan Jones joined because of his father. After he developed health problems, doctors examined his lungs and asked if he was a smoker. He had never smoked a day in his life, but his co-workers did. He died from second-hand smoke.

Timpanogos High's Meagan Adams, Mountain View's Tello and Springville's Zach Gillen joined because various family members and friends either smoked or used to smoke. As Gillen put it, "I wanted to do something for the community instead of sitting around doing nothing."

Who says something like that when he's 15?