On the unseasonably chilly Thursday morning of July 1, 2010, Free & Clear employees brought warmth to Seattle streets in a spontaneous outburst of celebration - a celebration of the freedom from tobacco, flash-mob style!

The Freedom from Tobacco mob, made up of Free & Clear employees and Seattle Chorus volunteers, gathered at Westlake Center around 11:45am Thursday to sing and dance to an a capella version of George Michael’s “Freedom 90.”  The event began with a single voice shouting Michael’s lyrics, “I think there’s something you should know!” and ended with a chorus of voices shouting “Freedom from Tobacco! 1-800-QUIT-NOW!”

After weeks of undercover planning sessions and secret rehearsals, the Free & Clear Flash mobbers uncovered the choreography perfected by Recruitment Marketing Manager, Reed Dunn, who acted as co-creative captain and choreographer. “I feel like a proud dad right now,” Dunn said Thursday, reflecting upon the hard work put in by the dancers, videographers, and organizers over the past two months.

Free & Clear’s Freedom from Tobacco flash mob event was created to give employees an opportunity to celebrate the freedom they help others achieve, as well as to spread awareness of the state quitlines that we help operate on a daily basis.

"My favorite thing about yesterday was the sense of camaraderie the event helped to foster," said Quit Coach Duncan Shea. "We should be proud to work in an organization that is willing to shake off the dust, shun the suit and tie and focus on engaging our participants and (very importantly) employees as humans who need something different on occasion."

Of course we made sure to record the event - a video of the flash mob is now live on YouTube and has also been posted to our Facebook page. Please watch, comment, and share with your friends and family!

Happy Independence Day from Free & Clear.