Horizon Foundation Helps PDFNJ Prepare Parents to Prevent Substance Use in Their Families

3/28/2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2018

Contact: Matt Birchenough, Media Coordinator, 201-916-1032, media@drugfreenj.org

Horizon Foundation Helps Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Prepare Parents to Prevent Substance Use in Their Families

OLD BRIDGE – The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), with critical support from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, has once again ensured that thousands of New Jersey parents will be well-equipped to speak with the children about substance use.

This is the 18th year of the Fifth Grade Parent Alert, a program that encourages and empowers parents to take steps to prevent substance use in their families. PDFNJ and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey recognized the winner of this year’s Fifth Grade Parent Alert grand prize, Shrutika Dahal of Old Bridge, who was presented with an iPad at Raymond E. Voorhees Elementary School in Old Bridge at the school’s Too Good for Drugs graduation ceremony on Friday, March 16.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey presented an iPad as the grand prize for this year’s Fifth Grade Parent Alert to Shrutika Dahal of Raymond E. Voorhees Elementary School. From left, Filomena Machleder, Program Officer with The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; Shrutika Dahal and her parents; Officer Patrick D’Onofrio of Old Bridge Township Police Department; and Angela Conover, Director of Media, Marketing  and Community Relations for the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

 

“As a parent you are your child’s strongest role model,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. “Parents have the greatest influence in preventing their children from engaging in substance use, and the Partnership is committed to providing parents the right tools and resources necessary to have meaningful conversations with their children.”

In an effort to aid parents, the Fifth Grade Parent Alert is offered free of charge to all New Jersey parents of fifth grade students, through a grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. More than 35,000 parents across the state received the information.

It is vital that parents are well-educated on substance use and prepared to address the issue with their children at younger ages, Valente said.

“A recent study found that nearly one in three parents of New Jersey middle school students do not believe there is a link between painkillers prescribed for things like sports injuries and wisdom tooth removal and the rising use of heroin in New Jersey,” Valente said. “The study also found that less than 50 percent of parents feel they are knowledgeable about heroin.”

The key to the program is to initiate discussions between parents and their children. Children who communicate regularly with their parents about their daily activities are 67 percent less likely to be involved in substance use than children who have little or no communication, according to research conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

“It’s critically important for parents to be involved in their children’s lives and to have open and honest discussions with their kids at any early age about the potentially life-threatening dangers of substance use,” said Jonathan R. Pearson, Executive Director of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. “The sooner parents talk to their children, the better chance they have of influencing their decisions about substance use. We are honored to support the Fifth Grade Parent Alert program so that parents are given the tools they need to encourage their kids to live healthy lives.”

“The support of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, through programs such as the Fifth Grade Parent Alert and the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series, has furthered the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s ability to share lifesaving education and awareness messages to all residents,” Valente said. “The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey’s unyielding dedication to the residents of our state has been demonstrated with their hands-on efforts and allocation of support to hundreds of New Jersey nonprofits, including the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, as our state battles a life threatening opioid epidemic.”

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Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey

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 $100 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 166 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is committed to working alongside those who can help us improve our neighbors’ health, inform their health decisions and inspire them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The Foundation’s funding pillars are Caring, Connecting and Creating. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the sole member of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, both of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information please visit www.Community.HorizonBlue.com.