Couple also behind Durham Together for Resilient Youth

BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN

dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563

DURHAM -- One Durham Everybody Eats isn't the only community initiative of Wanda and Earl Boone. They are pastors who lead At His Feet Ministries International in the same building on East Geer Street that will house the One Durham organic restaurant.

They also run Durham Together for Resilient Youth, a program to keep at-risk teenagers away from drugs and alcohol and bring them to leadership roles. Pinnacle Community Development is the nonprofit umbrella for Durham TRY and One Durham Everybody Eats.

Durham TRY youth will have the opportunity to be part of One Durham Everybody Eats.

"At-risk youth need what is afforded to the majority of middle-class families across the United States," Wanda Boone said. That includes a social network and ability to raise the level of their quality of life, she said. They survey what's missing in a child's life. "What we have found is at-risk youth are able to succeed when they have access to the same services and possibilities as any middle class youth of any socioeconomic background and two parents. It's not rocket science," Boone said.

Durham TRY connects with youth between 6 and 25 through court referrals, school and alternative schools. They've offered leadership programs to students working on their GEDs and led anti-drug and alcohol campaigns.

TRY volunteer Brianna Forbes, 14, a freshman at Early College High School, helps the program by going to stores that sell alcohol to see if they sell to minors. She's a youth member of the TRY board that includes representatives from Durham government, law enforcement and groups and institutions such as the Lincoln Community Health Center, Substance Abuse Prevention at Duke, Resident Life at NCCU, Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Drug-Free Community Coalition.

TRY educates parents on what kind of behavior indicates their children may be using drugs or alcohol. It sponsors an annual event called Durham Take a Stand. TRY plans to start a program for students at Southern High School who repeat their freshman year.

Wanda Boone is also the outreach coordinator for the East Durham Children's Initiative, a program modeled after Harlem Children's Zone. She said her attention has always been drawn to those in need.

"It is more than a feeling of responsibility. I am driven and compelled to do so. I have a heart to serve and solve," she said. "I can only tell you that God's love is so amazing towards me that it pours forth to others in such a way that it cannot be stopped."