Twenty years ago, when Wanda Boone, DTh, executive director of Durham Together for Resilient Youth (Durham TRY) was working for a company that conducted drug screening tests for employers, she was concerned by the number of employees who were failing their tests. Boone was—and still is—the only African American to serve as a Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs at the national level and co-created an instant drug screening test. Despite her advocacy, Boone’s employer declined to pursue her ideas to establish drug and alcohol prevention programs—so she decided to create those programs herself.

She started in Chapel Hill by developing a coalition to prevent binge-drinking on UNC’s campus, and later wanted to start something similar in Durham. She saw first-hand the impact of substance abuse. She and her husband were foster parents to seven foster children for more than 15 years, and each of the children at some point had substance abuse issues. At that time in 2011, in Durham, 14 percent of children could buy drugs in school—and most crimes committed by juveniles were committed under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In 2003, Durham TRY was born. At the first meeting, 50 people attended, but she received some pushback from other local organizations that had been working on similar issues for longer. Boone joined and became chair or co-chair of nearly all the local partnerships in order to develop relationships. And it worked, she now has a staff of six including a board of directors, an advisory board and scores of volunteers and supporters.  

Durham TRY focuses their efforts on the Seven Strategies for Community Change: Providing Information, Enhancing Skills, Providing Support, Enhancing Access/Reducing Barriers, Changing Consequences, Physical Design (environment) and Modifying/Changing Policies. Durham TRY conducts activities to achieve those strategies including presentations, workshops and seminars in schools and the community to reach youth, young adults and parents who have lost children due to overdose. The organization has publicly recognized 450 local businesses who have removed alcohol sales/celebrations. Their program “Forward Together” is a Community Recovery Support safety net for youths, young adults and adults that struggle with addiction.

Boone also conducts screenings of the movie “Resilience” that discusses Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). She believes the key for many people who struggle with physical and mental health issues is to be trauma-informed and know that resilience is key to living again. She is currently working with Duke University School of Nursing’s Community Health Improvement Partnership Program (D-CHIPP), Anne Derouin, DNP, RN, CPNP, FAANP, associate professor at Duke University School of Nursing and Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, PhD, MPH, RN, CPH, FAAN, associate professor at Duke University School of Nursing on the “Achieving Health Hand-in-Hand!” research project, funded by the Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute. This project aims to co-create a resiliency toolkit with community members. D-CHIPP works to improve health outcomes through strategic partnerships and research to develop and support programs and policies that promotes healthy and productive lives for the Durham community.

Boone says, “My lifelong dream is to make a difference in people’s lives, and that they have a chance to begin again after ACEs.”