MADD and Archie Comics Team Up to Prevent Underage Drinking

--Partnership Raises Awareness for MADD's First Annual PowerTalk 21 Day--

DALLAS, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Archie Comics® have partnered to raise awareness about underage drinking in advance of MADD's first annual PowerTalk 21™ day on April 21 — the national day for parents to start talking with their kids about alcohol. The Archie Comics Double Digest #217 issue hitting comic book stores tomorrow includes a storyline about underage drinking prevention, which features the likeness of Dallas Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten and, of course, the teens of Riverdale.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030421/MADDLOGO)

"MADD is excited to have the Riverdale gang and Jason Witten bring light to the importance of teens resisting the pressures to drink alcohol before they're 21," said MADD CEO Kimberly Earle. "A major disconnect exists between parents and kids when it comes to alcohol — research shows that one in five teens binge drink, while only one in 100 parents believes his or her child binge drinks — so MADD welcomed the opportunity to partner with Archie Comics and urge parents to start these vital conversations with their teens."

"As two CEOs who are moms, Kimberly and I met and immediately connected on the idea of making a difference for parents and teens in regards to underage drinking," added Archie Comics Co-CEO Nancy Silberkleit. "I am so pleased that the Archie Comics characters can help give parents the tools to keep their kids alcohol free. It's our hope that families will continue these conversations year-round, opening up an important line of communication in households across the country."

The iconic Archie characters — including Archie, Veronica and Jughead — have been teens for more than half a century now, and they've faced their share of challenges. So it made sense to provide these comic book teens and their classmates with some tools for handling the temptation and peer pressure surrounding underage drinking. In the latest issue, the Riverdale crew hears from the comic likeness of Jason Witten about the dangers of drinking alcohol before they're 21. Witten calls on teens to resist alcohol on prom night and year-round, and calls on parents to talk with their teens about alcohol early and often, instead of waiting until there's a problem.

The Archie characters will also be featured in MADD's national promotion of PowerTalk 21 leading up to April 21, which encourages parents to download MADD's Power of Parents, It's Your Influence® handbook. Developed with Pennsylvania State University's Dr. Robert Turrisi, this program is based on over two decades of underage drinking research.

For more information about MADD's Power of Parents program and PowerTalk 21 day, go to www.madd.org/powertalk21.

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Founded by a mother who lost her daughter in a crash, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. With the help of those who want a safer future, MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® will end this danger on America's roads. PowerTalk 21™ is the national day for parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, using the proven strategies of Power of Parents, It's Your Influence® to reduce the risk of underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the U.S., MADD also supports drunk driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every 10 minutes at 1-877-MADD-HELP.  Learn more at www.madd.org or call 1-800-GET-MADD.

About Archie Comics

The Archie Comics line of comic books is one of the most successful, longest running brands in the history of the comic industry. Archie Comics have sold 1.5 billion comics and are published in a dozen different foreign languages and distributed all over the world. Archie Comics has spawned characters whose popularity has spilled over into other media and who have become part of popular culture. SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS are just some of the many legendary franchises that are part of the Archie Comics Library.

SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Archie Comics