Spring Break
ECU Celebrates World AIDS Day
Campus Wellness sponsors week long events to celebrate World AIDS day
Brittani McNeill
Issue date: 12/2/08 Section: News
Monday, December 1, 2008 marked the 20th anniversary of World AIDS day, a day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. People all over the world wore red ribbons and participated in events to commemorate the day.
However, ECU is not stopping at one day. ECU Student Health Services sponsored a week of events to bring awareness and information about the disease to the community. All the events are designed to get students and the community involved so they can educate and protect themselves against the disease.
Campus Wellness kicked off the week on Sunday with worship at St. Augustus A.M.E. Zion Church in Kinston. The focus of the sermon was HIV/AIDS.
On Monday, World AIDS day, motivational speaker DeVondia Roseborough, who is HIV positive, spoke at the Lucille Gorham Intergenerational Community Center. Roseborough is an author and the founder of Rasberrirose Inc, a nonprofit organization focused on the needs of girls ages 10-18.
Roseborough spoke candidly about her diagnosis as well as her life with AIDS. Much of her life before contracting HIV was filled with low self-esteem and as a young girl an uncle and an aunt raped her. She said these experiences left her "looking for love in all the wrong places." As a result, she was promiscuous which led to her being infected.
Although Roseborough gave causes for some of the problems she faced, she made no excuses for her actions. She stressed two things throughout the evening.
"There's consequences behind choices," she said. And her personal motto: "A person will take you as far as you allow them to."
But she also stressed that her diagnosis was not the end for her. She is now a self published author and business owner. Her book, "Put it on Paper" chronicles her life before and after her diagnosis.
More events are scheduled throughout the week. Tonight, from 11am-1pm, campus wellness will be distributing condoms and red ribbons in Wright Plaza.
However, ECU is not stopping at one day. ECU Student Health Services sponsored a week of events to bring awareness and information about the disease to the community. All the events are designed to get students and the community involved so they can educate and protect themselves against the disease.
Campus Wellness kicked off the week on Sunday with worship at St. Augustus A.M.E. Zion Church in Kinston. The focus of the sermon was HIV/AIDS.
On Monday, World AIDS day, motivational speaker DeVondia Roseborough, who is HIV positive, spoke at the Lucille Gorham Intergenerational Community Center. Roseborough is an author and the founder of Rasberrirose Inc, a nonprofit organization focused on the needs of girls ages 10-18.
Roseborough spoke candidly about her diagnosis as well as her life with AIDS. Much of her life before contracting HIV was filled with low self-esteem and as a young girl an uncle and an aunt raped her. She said these experiences left her "looking for love in all the wrong places." As a result, she was promiscuous which led to her being infected.
Although Roseborough gave causes for some of the problems she faced, she made no excuses for her actions. She stressed two things throughout the evening.
"There's consequences behind choices," she said. And her personal motto: "A person will take you as far as you allow them to."
But she also stressed that her diagnosis was not the end for her. She is now a self published author and business owner. Her book, "Put it on Paper" chronicles her life before and after her diagnosis.
More events are scheduled throughout the week. Tonight, from 11am-1pm, campus wellness will be distributing condoms and red ribbons in Wright Plaza.
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