Empowerment Speaker Mo Stegall Encourages Young Adults to "Take the Test, Take Control" with Free HIV Testing Awareness Day at Butler Street YMCA in Atlanta
National HIV Test Day Event Offers Free HIV Testing, Counseling and Prevention Education. Atlanta-based philanthropist and empowerment speaker Mo Stegall will encourage young adults to “Take the Test, Take Control” in observance of National HIV Testing Day from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 27 at the Butler Street YMCA in Atlanta, GA. In partnership with Citywide Project, the event will offer Free HIV swab tests and counseling services.
Atlanta, GA, June 22, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Atlanta-based philanthropist and empowerment speaker Mo Stegall will encourage young adults to “Take the Test, Take Control” in observance of National HIV Testing Day from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 27 at the Butler Street YMCA in Atlanta, GA. In partnership with Citywide Project, members of the community can receive Free HIV swab tests, with results in 20 minutes, and counselors will be onsite for anyone who would like to discuss their test results or other concerns related to HIV/AIDS.
According to the CDC, African Americans face a number of risk factors that contribute to the high rates of HIV infection, most of which is attributed to the stigma and negative social label associated with the virus. A committed HIV/AIDS activist, Stegall recalls a childhood experience of his mother, Mrs. Louise Stegall, taking a young man with AIDS into their home because his own family didn’t want him because of the disease. Years later, Mrs. Stegall lost her own battle with AIDS, after being infected by someone who knowingly had the disease. Only seven short months passed between her diagnosis and her death. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to lead and support HIV/AIDS education, awareness and prevention initiatives across the country, encouraging young men and women to take control of their health and exercise safety, including both abstinence and protection.
“I want to do my part to encourage our community to take the test and take control of their health by knowing their status early,” says Stegall. “We have to get comfortable talking about HIV/AIDS, because not talking about it is part of the problem. And young people continue to engage in high-risk behavior, not knowing that they could be infecting others.”
Stegall has also produced a soon to be released documentary entitled “RasberriRose: Life Before HIV & After AIDS.” The film is a ravishing depiction of two women, including his own mother, living with the virus, and how their families cope and support them.
The Butler Street YMCA is located at 22 Jessie Hill Jr. Drive in Atlanta, GA. For more information on National HIV Testing Day, please visit www.hivtest.org and www.mostegall.com or call (770) 354-6487.
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According to the CDC, African Americans face a number of risk factors that contribute to the high rates of HIV infection, most of which is attributed to the stigma and negative social label associated with the virus. A committed HIV/AIDS activist, Stegall recalls a childhood experience of his mother, Mrs. Louise Stegall, taking a young man with AIDS into their home because his own family didn’t want him because of the disease. Years later, Mrs. Stegall lost her own battle with AIDS, after being infected by someone who knowingly had the disease. Only seven short months passed between her diagnosis and her death. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to lead and support HIV/AIDS education, awareness and prevention initiatives across the country, encouraging young men and women to take control of their health and exercise safety, including both abstinence and protection.
“I want to do my part to encourage our community to take the test and take control of their health by knowing their status early,” says Stegall. “We have to get comfortable talking about HIV/AIDS, because not talking about it is part of the problem. And young people continue to engage in high-risk behavior, not knowing that they could be infecting others.”
Stegall has also produced a soon to be released documentary entitled “RasberriRose: Life Before HIV & After AIDS.” The film is a ravishing depiction of two women, including his own mother, living with the virus, and how their families cope and support them.
The Butler Street YMCA is located at 22 Jessie Hill Jr. Drive in Atlanta, GA. For more information on National HIV Testing Day, please visit www.hivtest.org and www.mostegall.com or call (770) 354-6487.
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Contact
Mo Stegall
Traci Johnson
770-354-6487
www.mostegall.com
Traci Johnson
770-354-6487
www.mostegall.com
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