RUMFORD – Project NOW, Northern Oxford Wellness, recently presented state poster contest awards for the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Each year Project NOW, in conjunction with physicians from Swift River Health Care, presents an hour-long program to area fourth-graders known as Tar Wars. This program of the American Academy of Family Physicians is a youth tobacco-free education program and poster contest.

Each classroom submitted posters depicting “reasons why they won’t use tobacco” with an attached slogan. There was one winning poster chosen from each classroom that went on to the state competition. Out of all the classroom winners, a local regional first, second and third place was chosen and received larger prizes. Every student that participated received a Tar Wars t-shirt with the local regional winners’ slogan. Each classroom winner had their poster ironed onto their t-shirt and their poster was sent into the state competition.

Recently, Project NOW was contacted by the Maine Chapter of AAFP and was informed that winners of the statewide Tar Wars posters had been finalized. This year the statewide Tar Wars poster contest first-, second- and third-place winners were all part of Project NOW’s region. First place went to Erich Zurhorst of Andover Elementary School who was winner of a bike. Second place went to Samantha Tibbetts of Crescent Park School, and third place went to Ben Higley of Virginia Elementary School. Each student received a physical activity based prize, along with a certificate of recognition.

Project NOW stands for Northern Oxford Wellness and is one of 31 community-based Healthy Maine Partnerships funded with tobacco settlement money from the Fund for a Healthy Maine through the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine, Bureau of Health, Department of Human Services. This organization is based out of Rumford as part of River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition.

Project NOW’s purpose is to educate others on the topics of tobacco, physical fitness and good nutrition. The surrounding areas benefiting from these grant monies are most towns in SAD 21, SAD 43, SAD 44 and Peru. If anyone has any questions or comments, call RVHCC at 364-7408 Monday through Friday or e-mail at [email protected].