Calhoun Community College will host an AIDS awareness program featuring Emmy Award winning motivational speaker, Ms. Rae Lewis-Thornton on March 8, 2004, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Chasteen Student Center on the Decatur campus.  The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by Representative Laura Hall.

Ms. Lewis-Thornton graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern Illinois University.  She is a Baptist minister, and received her Master in Divinity degree in 2003.  In 1986, Ms. Lewis-Thornton was diagnosed HIV-positive, and is currently living with full-blown AIDS.  Her story has been featured in Essence, Ebony, and Emerge magazines, as well as in several newspaper articles and national television documentaries.  She has appeared on Nightline and The Oprah Winfrey Show, sharing her story and leading an unending crusade to educate and challenge young and old audiences to take control of their own bodies, futures, and health.

For more information, contact Calhoun Community College at 256-306-2560.