This is a sample – change all the italics and underlined information with your local information before releasing to the media. This should go out 5-7 days prior to the event. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE					         CONTACT:  your name
Date you send release							           PHONE:  your number
										EMAIL: your email

Press Advisory

A Community Call to Action on Preventing Underage Drinking: 
No matter who you are, there is something you can do to help. 

Community name in City, State, is joining a national movement to discuss and raise awareness about the issue of underage drinking. Dozens of towns in Maine and hundreds of communities around the country will hold Town Hall meetings this spring to further the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on this issue. 

Your organization, in collaboration with the Office of Substance Abuse as well as the Federal Government’s Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking, is sponsoring the event. Parents, teachers, officials, youth, and other community members will be educated about the impact that underage drinking has on the community, and will develop possible ways to address this issue locally. 

In Maine, among eighth graders, about 1 in 13 (7.7 percent) reported being drunk at least once in the past two weeks. Nearly 1 in 5 (19.7 percent) 10th graders and about 3 out of every 10 12th graders (29.4 percent) reported being drunk at least once in the last month. (2006 MYDAUS Survey)  Early drinking can cause later alcohol problems. Of adults who started drinking before age 15, around 40% say they have the signs of alcohol dependence. That rate is four times higher than for adults who didn’t drink until they were age 21.  Simply put, kids who drink before age 15 are 5 times more likely to have alcohol problems when they’re adults. (Surgeon Generals Call to Action)

What: Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meeting: theme or title
When: date at time
Where: address 
Who: Key Speaker and panelists

After the meeting, Guest spokesperson, Community representative, and Your organization’s representative will be available for interviews.
	
Partners in the statewide effort include the Office of Substance Abuse, DHHS; the Governor’s Office and First Lady; the Attorney General’s office; the Department of Public Safety; and the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse.

	For more information regarding reducing underage drinking in our community, contact your local contact person and phone number.

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