The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Takes Best of Public Relations Trophy at 50th Annual NJ Ad Club Jersey Awards

MILLBURN, N.J., June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey received accolades for their Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series at the June 8 NJ Ad Club's 50^th Annual Jersey Awards, earning the Best of Public Relations award for the statewide effort to address the opioid epidemic.

The town hall series also received first place in the Public Relations: Not for Profit/Pro Bono Work category, one of four first-place trophies PDFNJ won at the awards ceremony.

"We are so honored to be recognized by the NJ Ad Club for our statewide efforts in addressing this crucial public health crisis and for the positive impact the town hall series has had on New Jersey residents," said PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente.

The town hall series, supported by a grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, began in April 2017 and featured events for audiences from every county in the state. More than 13,600 people participated either in person or online via live stream at the town halls for the 21 counties, which provided New Jersey residents with a comprehensive understanding of the causes and effects of the opioid epidemic. The events included participation from county prosecutors, state legislators, doctors and professionals from the prevention, treatment and recovery fields.

Furthermore, the series invited residents to voice their concerns and ideas on the opioid crisis, which helped to create a better understanding of how this issue has impacted New Jersey communities in different ways.

"Ending New Jersey's opioid epidemic requires a multi-faceted and comprehensive effort to heighten public awareness about the threat of addiction and to develop best practices for treatment and prevention," said Jonathan R. Pearson, Executive Director of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. "Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has been at the forefront of the fight against drug abuse and Horizon is pleased to join them in getting everyone in the conversation on real solutions and pathways to help in the community. We're very proud to be honored by the NJ Ad Club and we remain committed to addressing the opioid crisis in the Garden State."

PDFNJ also received the first-place award in the Public Relations: Advocacy/Political Multimedia Campaign category for the second annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day, an event held on Oct. 6, 2017. The initiative organized more than 5,000 volunteers to canvass communities throughout the state to raise awareness of opioid misuse among New Jersey families and to share information about safe prescribing methods with healthcare professionals.

The campaign engaged community leaders to help raise awareness of the opioid epidemic. This initiative was a collaboration of PDFNJ, with the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris, the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

The Partnership also collected first place in the Out of Home: Transit Shelter category for its "Before They Prescribe, You Decide" campaign and in the Music: Original Music Competition/Non-Jingle for Commercial category for the song "Invisible," written and performed by Anna Toby Rabinowitz and Anna Zibit as part of the 2017 Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Songwriters Contest organized by LIFE Center Stage and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris.

Best known for its statewide substance use prevention 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 171 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

SOURCE Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey