Great prizes offered to quit smoking

As if better health wasn't motivation enough to quit smoking, more than 145 people in Northwestern Ontario have already committed to throwing their cigarettes into the fire by March 1 for a chance to win fabulous prizes.

The Driven To Quit Challenge has a choice of a Honda hybrid car as its top prize, one of two $5,000 CAA vacation getaways or one of seven $2,000 MasterCard gift cards. It also promises an early bird prize of $1,000 credit at MasterCard.
In its sixth year, the challenge is a spring cleaning incentive for smokers to quit for the entire month of March with the help of a "buddy," who is eligible to win a $200 MasterCard gift card just for being a rock to a friend in the tough moments.
Since 2006, more than 130,000 Ontarians have registered with the government using prizes as incentives to kick the habit. Last year's winner of the $2,000 credit card gift was Alana Stones from Thunder Bay. Her advice to smokers trying to butt out: "Think the worst. My grandmother and cousin died of lung cancer and another friend who died of cancer was a smoker."