When we think about keeping kids safe over the summer, we might think about sunscreen, biking and swim safety; or hiking, campfires and the first “sleep away” camp. But who are our kids spending time with? When we think about who might hurt children, images of the stereotypical person lurking in a park luring children with candy come to mind. Teaching children how to be safe around strangers and how to access help from safe strangers if needed IS important. But mostly, the “s

Now that the #MeToo movement, the Cosby trial and the number of resignations by men who abused their power across the political, media and entertainment spectrum has got everyone’s attention, what can we do to keep the momentum moving forward? We have work to do. All of us. We perpetuate the pervasive culture of misogyny and violence by not speaking up, every time men are contemptuous of women, women are dismissive of other women, and men are indifferent to other men who triv

The parents and siblings of a daughter killed by the man who said he wanted to marry her; the family of a couple together decades when one partner turned on the other. The employees of local businesses, some of whom know, firsthand, about the trauma of domestic violence and sexual assault. The staff of Turning Points Network who are on the front lines of personal violence every day—advocating in court, managing TPN’s 16-bed emergency shelter, leading classes in Economic Ind

Books stacked in precarious piles, surrounded by faded boxes filled with papers and binders full of information—to the naked eye it looks like chaos. However, there is a certain purpose in the general clutter. In fact, the materials act as a timeline. They detail the transition that Turning Points Network’s education curriculum has taken over the years. Over twenty years ago, Turning Points Network started building relationships with schools in Sullivan County. With only one

The cloudy, drizzly day we woke up to on Saturday May 6 did not deter some 600 volunteers and participants in the Steppin’ Up to End Violence Walk and Fun Run and who collectively raised over $90,000 (with more to come) in support of Turning Points Network and its services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence throughout Sullivan County. About half of TPN’s annual fundraising of $200,000+ supports the education programs brought by TPN to Sullivan County Schools that r

Cindy (not her real name) used her last few dollars to get to Turning Points Network’s emergency shelter. Sexually abused in her childhood, she was physically, emotionally and financially abused by her husband. Just before arriving at our shelter, her husband had strangled her until she lost consciousness, cut her arm in three places and raped her at knifepoint. She was terrified and trusted no one. Least of all, herself. Today she holds her head high. While living in TP