AIDS WALK Charlotte: Walking Strong - RAIN
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Spring 2018
AIDS WALK Charlotte: Walking Strong
9:00 AM New Look. New Time. New Location. Same Great Experience.
Saturday, May 12th
Registration
& Check-In Opens In its 22nd year, AIDS WALK Charlotte is still one of the largest HIV awareness
and fundraising events in the Carolinas. It is a visual representation of our communities’
commitment to those living with HIV and those that are at risk.
10:30 AM
Morning Program Because our lives and the lives of others have been touched by HIV, we walk strong.
& Awards Because it’s our opportunity to stand up and be counted, we walk strong.
Because all of us have or will be touched by HIV, we walk strong.
11:00 AM We will lace up our shoes on Saturday, May 12th and walk the 1.8 mile route (takes
Walk Begins the average person roughly 30 minutes to complete). The brief morning program will
kick-off the event and a closing celebration will follow the walk. AIDS WALK Charlotte
is a family affair (kids and pets are welcomed) and open to all who want to participate.
12:00 PM
Closing & Celebration For more information and to register individual or a team, go to www.aidswalkcharlotte.
org. The process is easy and only takes a few minutes. The site is filled with tips and
tools to recruit others to walk and how to secure donations – including social media
images and text.
Wells Fargo Atrium & Plaza | 301 S. Tryon Street, Uptown Charlotte
A Message from our President & CEO
RAIN Celebrates 25 Joyous Years
What great joy to celebrate RAIN’s 25th anniversary! Nearly 400 people shared in
the celebration during our annual World AIDS Day Luncheon in November. Spiracle
Media created an extraordinary video documenting our history and impact (you may
view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH7dy8xt0fc).
It was such a pleasure to honor Bishop Tonyia Rawls and Warner Hall
at Davidson College for their many years of leadership and generosity.
As we remember our history, it is thrilling to see how far we’ve come. Evidence based
tools for treatment and prevention, along with the leadership of people living with
HIV, have the potential to end the epidemic. I am proud of our staff members who
work to improve the health outcomes for those living with HIV and those who are vulnerable.
May all be healed, may all be comforted and may all be loved. - Debbie Warren
ThankYo
WARNER
HALL HOUSE,
DAVIDSON COLLEGE
Pictured (l-r) Catherine Karama, Morque Bostic and Adrian Ross (EPY Peer Navigator)
Empowering Positive Youth (EPY)
RAIN’s New Mentoring Program
for Youth Living with HIV
By Catherine Kamara and Morque Bostic, EPY Youth Navigators
RAIN’s EPY (Empowering Positive Youth) program is expanding thanks
to a grant from ViiV Healthcare. The Positive Action for Youth Project is
a tiered model that will provide mentorship to youth and young adults
Formed in 1982, Warner Hall House living with HIV.
serves primarily as a dining organization
The EPY program has been a leader in working with youth living with HIV
and social club and seeks to facilitate
in our community for over a decade and continues to see high rates of
friendship and fellowship among its
youth being referred to the program from community and state partners.
members through meals, social events,
In RAIN’s experience, youth come with many barriers to achieving
and other activities. It also provides
optimal medical outcomes and need positive relationships and guidance
women at Davidson College with
to remain in care and achieve viral suppression.
opportunities in leadership and
service. Warner Hall actively participates The mentoring program nurtures youth living with HIV who are interested
in community service and philanthropic in leadership development to accomplish their goals, even gaining
events centered on HIV/AIDS awareness employment within the field. First, Youth Navigators learn from RAIN’s
throughout the school year and supports Peer Navigators and other professional program staff, while also
local and international efforts. Warner learning how to mentor other youth. The second tier is Youth Leaders
Hall has made contributions to RAIN for learning from the Youth Navigators and Peer Navigators to become
seven years totaling over $160,000. positive examples to other youth served in the program. Youth
Navigators and Youth Leaders supply additional personalized support
Thank you, Warner Hall, for your for youth living with HIV that is needed and to educate them in accessing
recent contribution of $19,460! the adult care system. We anticipate that 120 youth will be served by
We are grateful for your support! the EPY Program in 2018 and 2019.
Thank you,
Synchrony!
For over 13 years, Synchrony (a financial
services company based in Stamford, CT with
a sizeable presence in the Ballantyne area of
Charlotte) and its employees, have donated
over $20,000 to RAIN through citizenship grants,
employee donations and Synchrony’s employee
donation matching program. The majority
of these funds were raised through AIDS WALK
Charlotte and Synchrony’s participation in our
banner fundraising event. We are especially
Leaving a Legacy at RAIN
grateful for the leadership of Louis Kemp, Mia
Thompson, Lanita Battle and Jonathan Rosa
for informing and engaging their colleagues
at Synchrony. Your care and compassion for
people living with HIV is evident through your
KEITH HOLCOMB service to RAIN. Thank you!
P L A N N E D GI V I N G D O N O R
Keith Holcomb has been associated with RAIN for 20 years. He
first came to RAIN as a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church’s
CareTeam in the late 1990’s. At that time, faith communities all
RAIN on WFAE
over Charlotte and the Metrolina area organized groups of
caring individuals who provided a supportive network for RAIN’s Vice President of Operations, Chelsea
people with AIDS. Keith says that this was a “great experience” Gulden was a panelist on WFAE’s Charlotte
and helped him see the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the time Talks with Mike Collins in February. She joined
“through other’s perspectives”. Since then, Keith has been Mecklenburg County Health Director, Gibbie
actively involved with RAIN including serving on the Board Harris to discuss Mecklenburg’s HIV rates and
of Directors and as its Chair. access to PrEP and PEP. Mecklenburg County’s
rate of new HIV infections has been declining
Keith says that becoming a planned giving donor to RAIN is a in recent years, but is still more than double the
“no brainer”. He states that leaving an estate gift is a way to go national average, and is the second-highest rate
“over and beyond” his regular level of giving and believes that in North Carolina.
it will make a “huge impact” on the organization once it is real-
ized. Keith has chosen the leave a percentage of his retirement
Our Mission
savings to RAIN. It will keep growing, increasing the benefit for
RAIN. Keith’s advice to others who are considering a legacy gift
to RAIN is, “It’s time to take it to the next step. It’s so simple. Get RAIN ensures access to quality,
the form. Fill it out. Turn it in. Done.” personalized care in a nurturing
environment for individuals and their
“Take the passion you have for RAIN and make it personal.” families who are living with HIV and
- Keith Holcomb associated chronic conditions so they
may live healathier fulfilled lives.
THANK YOU, Keith, for your commitment to RAIN!
Through education and advocacy,
If you would like to know more about making a Planned Gift, RAIN promotes disease prevention,
please contact Joyce Brooks, Development Manager at understanding and dignity for those
704-973-9819 or j.brooks@carolinarain.org, or speak affected by HIV and for those who
with your financial advisor. are at risk.
Staff Spotlight
Kanesha Whitworth
Kanesha Whitworth is an adult Medical Case Manager RAIN. She has a Master’s of Science degree in Health Education
specializing in Health Advocacy and Policy, has worked in the field of HIV for 10 years and with RAIN for 18 months.
Kanesha’s compassion for people living with HIV shines through her work.
RAIN: What brought you to the field of HIV? RAIN: What more is needed in our community to help
people living with HIV?
Kanesha: During my undergraduate studies at North
Carolina Central University, I was asked to be a peer Kanesha: Counseling sessions and support groups.
educator for SISTA*, a DEBI* program. At the same time, People living with HIV just want to talk, to express
one of my relatives was diagnosed as HIV positive. As a themselves without being judged for it.
facilitator in SISTA, I saw how important this work is
for women and African American women. I enjoyed RAIN: What one thing would you like for people
educating women about safe sex and empowering to know?
themselves. My passion developed from there.
Kanesha: My church’s motto is We Greater Than Me. It
takes all people in the community to help. It cannot be
RAIN: What keeps you going in this work?
done with just one person. We need to work as a team to
Kanesha: I feel that this is my God-given purpose. It figure out how to make lives better.
gives me the opportunity to pour love and compassion
into people. It challenges me to be vulnerable and show RAIN: What do you do outside of work?
my heart. I like showing my clients that someone wants to
Kanesha: I sing gospel and soul music and I like to
help.
dance. I do liturgical dance and am currently taking a
hip hop Zumba class. I also like spending time with my
RAIN: What do you like about working at RAIN?
nieces and nephew and my dog Ashton.
Kanesha: RAIN is one of the most well-known HIV
organizations. My professors in college were the first to
tell me about RAIN. I like the team approach and that we
do a lot in the community. We do the legwork, have the
difficult conversations, and actually make change.
*SISTA is a group-level, gender- and culturally- relevant intervention, designed to increase condom use with African American women and focuses on
ethnic and gender pride, HIV knowledge, and skills training around sexual risk reduction behaviors and decision making. DEBI (Diffusion of Effective
Behavioral Intervention) projects began in 1999 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and are effective intervention programs and models of
behavior change. https://effectiveinterventions.cdc.gov
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Charlotte, NC
601 E. 5th Street, Suite 470
Charlotte, NC 28202 Permit No. 1899
April 11
RAIN Volunteer Orientation
Children and Family Services Center
601 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, Room 106 - 6:00pm
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
May 12
CALENDAR
Linda Gallehugh - Chair - Retired Nonprofit/Healthcare Executive
AIDS Walk Charlotte 2018
Zuni Johnson - Vice Chair - Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo Plaza & Atrium
Robert Dogens - Treasurer - Wells Fargo
301 S. Tryon Street, Charlotte - 9:00am
Judy Jeffries - Secretary - Community Leader
June 12 Patrick Hege - Immediate Past Chair - Community Leader
NC AIDS Advocacy Day Bob Carta - Member-at-Large - Carolinas Healthcare System
Raleigh. Sign up at Rick Gibbons - Member-at-Large - Bank of America
http://bit.ly/HIVSpeaksonJonesSt2018 Greg Godley - Member-at-Large - Legacy Commercial Real Estate
Johnny Johnson - Member-at-Large - South State Bank
June 27 Wendy Laxton, CPA - Member-at-Large - CREO, Inc.
National HIV Testing Day Shannon Levister, PMP, CSM, FLMI - Member-at-Large - SCOR Global Life
Free testing at RAIN Barry Metzger - Member-at-Large - Community Leader
601 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, Suite 470 - 5:00 – 7:00pm Lindsay Middlesworth - Member-at-Large - Middlesworth Law, PLLC
Hysona Ross - Member-at-Large - Bank of America
Like What You See?
Michael Rodriguez - Member-at-Large - PNC Wealth Management
Make an investment in RAIN’s services at DEBORAH C. WARREN | PRESIDENT & CEO
carolinarain.org/give NATHAN B. SMITH | VP, Philanthropy
CHELSEA GULDEN, MSW | VP, Operations
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