Howerton Honored by Durham County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
Durham, NC – Durham Board of County Commissioners Chair Brenda Howerton received the Karen K. Thompson Award from the Durham County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) on Thursday, June 24, 2021. This award is given to an individual by the JCPC in recognition of “outstanding leadership, service, and advocacy that prevents and mitigates juvenile delinquency and enhances the lives of youth in Durham County.”
Commission Chair Howerton was selected due to her dedication to the youth of Durham and to the JCPC.
The award is named for Karen King Thompson who was a long-time chair of the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council who diligently shared her passion to help at-risk and court-involved youth in the community. It was established seven years ago following her transition to honor her legacy of service.
In accepting the award Howerton said, “I am honored to be acknowledged by receiving the Karen K. Thompson Award from the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council in the name of a woman that gave so much of herself for our young people.”
Karen K. Thompson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School and Duke University. She received a master’s degree in Library Science from North Carolina Central University. Karen had a heart for the youth of Durham County. In 1991, she volunteered on a committee focusing on at-risk and court-involved youth and continued her passionate engagement on the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) until her death in 2014. Karen provided leadership to the group by serving in positions of chairperson and treasurer for several years.
Most recent awardees include Chief Court Counselor Tasha Jones-Butts, Arnold Dennis, former Durham County Youth Home Director, and former District Court Judge, and now State Representative Marcia Morey.
The Durham Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) reviews the needs of Durham juveniles who are at risk of delinquency or who have been adjudicated, undisciplined, or delinquent, reviews and evaluates the resources available to address those needs. JCPC develops and implements a request for proposals process and submits a written plan of action for the expenditure of juvenile sanction and prevention funds to the Durham Board of County Commissioners for approval.