A Valentine’s Day dinner in the Rockland banquet hall on Thursday, Feb. 16, will also offer some tips to keep in mind to maintain healthy relationships.

During the event, Stevenson’s R.E.A.L. peer educators and representatives from TurnAround, Inc. will talk about a variety of subjects including STD’s, healthy relationships vs. unhealthy relationships, and domestic violence. TurnAround, Inc., is a domestic violence and sexual assault center in Baltimore that helps women, children, and families who are victims of abuse.

According to Brenda Boggs, nurse practitioner in Stevenson’s Wellness Center, tickets for the event have already gone on sale, at the cost of $10 a couple. The attire is semi-formal, the menu is Italian, and there will be music and games as well.

The Wellness Center promotes healthy living and disease prevention. College students are bombarded with relationship choices, and it is important to make sure that any relationship is by choice and consensual by both partners.

The peer educators have been trained to help students examine relationship issues. R.E.A.L. peer educator Yasmine Byrd said, “Open communication and how you go about expressing your feelings is important. You cannot be afraid to say no, and your partner should respect that.”

TurnAround’s mission is to build “a community free of violence by working with adults and children affected by intimate partner and sexual violence” to prevent further violence through advocacy and education. The organization’s website is www.turnaroundinc.org and there is a 24-hour helpline (443-279-0379).

According to its website, TurnAround provides assistance to over 20,000 individuals who are educated and protected from further violence through community education, counseling, a Victims’ Advocate Program, housing, interventions, helplines and a multitude of other methods of support. One of the TurnAround volunteers explained that most of the people who work there are volunteers and help out because they want to.