Home » Red Ribbon Day

Saturday, October 21st | 10am-3pm | Nomahegan Park, Cranford, NJ

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Join us to celebrate 25 years of Red Ribbon Day!

For over 50 years, your friends at Prevention Links have been working hard to foster, empower & sustain safer & healthier communities. This year, we will be celebrating 25 consecutive years of Union County’s Red Ribbon Day 5k & Family Fun Festival. Each year, community members, businesses, and non-profits gather to raise awareness and funds for drug use & overdose prevention, youth mental health & wellness, and to celebrate addiction recovery.

Why Join Our Cause?

Everyone Knows Someone…Help Prevent the Next One.

THOUSAND +

people lost their life to an overdose in 2022 alone. (CDC)

THOUSAND

teenagers met the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder within the last year. (NCADS)

%

of New Jersey residents needing addiction treatment never receive it. (DHS)

%

of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health in 2022. (CDC)

Sponsorship Opportunities

This event presents a special opportunity to advertise your corporation in a meaningful way. Red Ribbon Sponsors not only get to reach a greater audience with their branding, but also exhibit themselves as businesses dedicated to the health and wellness of their citizens.

Now more than ever, it is crucial for us as community members to stand together & fight to end the overdose epidemic, support recovery and keep our children, families and community members safe. 

For questions, please contact Madeline Desrosiers (she/her)  at mdesrosiers@preventionlinks.org

Getting Involved

Join our Red Ribbon Planning Committee! With your help, we are determined to make our 25th Red Ribbon Day the greatest one yet. Help us with planning for the Family Fun Festival activities, promotion leading up to the event, sponsorship acquisition, volunteer recruitment and coordination, and more. All committee members will receive volunteers hours for their planning efforts.

Register to run the 5k marathon through the runner registration page and invite family, friends and coworkers to support you day-of. As a runner, you show your community that you’re a supporter of prevention & recovery efforts which smashes stigma and inspires others to get involved.

Create a personal walk team through our registration page that friends, family and coworkers can join at any point before the event. Walk teams can be used as a meaningful way to honor a loved one and/or represent your family, school, social circle or organization as a group that cares about preventing addiction and supporting recovery.

Fundraising as a walk team or individual for Red Ribbon Day helps support Prevention Links in providing our free community programs & services. Top fundraisers get a special spot on our Red Ribbon Leadership Board, and teams or individuals that raise $500 or more will be listed as a top supporter in our Annual Report (and get a special shoutout on our social media pages)!

Stigma kills. Raising awareness about drug prevention efforts and addiction recovery helps reduce stigma and could help save a life.  Sharing facts about addiction prevention & recovery; prevention & recovery resources; and personal stories with the people you know makes a huge impact! Check out our social media pages for some content you could share on your own page.

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

“What’s My Anti-Drug?”

Poster Contest

As part of our 25th Annual Red Ribbon Day Drug festivities, we invite all Union County 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade school students to participate and creatively present their anti-drug through art. Our local contest is part of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the United States. Union County Schools may register at the beginning of each school year and the winners are presented at our annual Red Ribbon Day event in October.

Students are asked to create a poster describing what they choose to do instead of drugs. This can include things such as sports, family, and hobbies. Posters will be judged strictly on originality and creativeness, not on artistic ability.

Three finalists from each grade level will be chosen to participate in an online voting contest that will help determine the winner(s) of each grade level. Poster Contest winners will then be announced at the in person 25th Annual Union County Red Ribbon Day on October 21st, 2023. Finalists will receive their gift card prize at the walk during the formal ceremony.

Stay tuned for submission and voting details!

Contact Info

Prevention Links
121-125 Chestnut Street Suite 301,
3rd Floor Roselle, New Jersey 07203
phone: 732-381-4100
TTY: 732.381.4192
Fax: 732.381.0140
info@preventionlinks.org

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