Officials of The Turning Point, from top left, Executive Director Wendy Hanna; Amy Lawrence, senior director of programs; Liliana Leyva, program counselor. From bottom left, Aditi Parolkar, Building Strong Futures program coordinator; Letetia Smith, Destiny’s Leaders executive director and Robin Forsythe, Community Lifeline Center executive director. Courtesy Photo

A community-based violence prevention program for parents and caregivers is starting this month in Princeton.

“Building Strong Futures,” a free six-week interactive workshop, launches Friday, May 9, at Lois Nelson Public Library, 323 McKinney Ave.

“This program seeks to address social determinants of health like food insecurity and healthcare access related to behavioral health, chronic disease and health literacy,” said Aditi Parolkar, program coordinator.

The program, funded for two years by Texas Health Resources (THR), is being implemented by The Turning Point Rape Crisis Center in Plano and its collaborating partners, Community Lifeline Center and Destiny’s Leaders, a local youth mentoring and leadership organization.

The Turning Point nonprofit has served Collin County for over 40 years with services for survivors of sexual violence and community-based violence prevention. 

Parolkar said Princeton was chosen for the pilot program based on THR’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment highlighting critical health inequities in Collin County. The program is open to families with school-age children living in the 75407 ZIP code, she said.

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By Bob Wieland | [email protected]