For Immediate Release:

Melisa Damcevska, melisa@drugfreenj.org

Connect and Spend Quality Time with Family with the Second Annual New Jersey Online Fishing Tournament

The downtime from school and the warm months of summer encourage families to get outside and spend some treasured time together before the hectic schedules of September begin again. To help families get active and motivate them to spend time with their children and keep them away from drugs, The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is holding the second annual “Don’t Get Hooked on Drugs” Online New Jersey Fishing Tournament. The contest will run from August 19^th to August 28^th.

Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ said, “In the summertime, children are out of school leaving them with more free-time and more vulnerable to engage in drug use. This Don’t Get Hooked on Drugs Fishing Tournament encourages families to get involved in some summertime fun. Spending more time with family is the best way to keep children from drugs and continue living drug-free.”

According to Valente, kids who communicate regularly with their parents about their daily activities are 67 percent less likely to be involved in substance abuse than children who have little or no communication.

“In a world where children constantly stay plugged into technology, a day of fishing will be a nice break and drive families to talk with one another more about their daily activities,” Valente said.

To be eligible to participate, entrants must be 18 years or younger and be accompanied by a parent or guardian while fishing. During the fishing trip, take a picture of your family with a caught fish with and the hashtag #drugfreenj. Pictures can be posted by liking PDFNJ’s Facebook page at Drug-Free NJ or by following PDFNJ on Twitter and Instagram.

All entries must be in no later than August 28, 2016. A winner will be randomly selected on September 1, 2016 and be eligible to win over $600 in cash prizes.

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Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication.  To date, more than $50 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered over 46 Advertising and Public Relations Awards from National, Regional & Statewide Media Organizations.