Road to Hope HIV
prevention tour dates announced

AIDS groups Hope's Voice and the Student Global AIDS Campaign on Wednesday announced plans for the second annual "Road to Hope" HIV prevention tour, which brings HIV-positive speakers to colleges across the country. The tour begins in Washington, D.C., on April 3 and wraps up in New York City on May 5.

"With half of all new infections occurring under the age of 25, it is crucial that we reach young adults," says Todd Murray, executive director of Hope's Voice, in a press statement. "This exciting tour will bring education and awareness to thousands of students. We believe that this generation has the power to change the trend of this epidemic."

Each tour stop will include a Hope's Voice panel of HIV-positive young adults talking about their experiences and answering questions about living with the disease. Student Global AIDS Campaign representatives will inform students on how they can join the fight against HIV and AIDS and start their own SGAC chapters. At some tour stops, local AIDS service organizations will provide confidential HIV antibody testing and counseling.

Tour stops include:

George Washington University, Washington, D.C., April 3

University of Maryland, College Park, Md., April 4

Randolph-Macon Women's College, Lynchburg, Va., April 5

Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, W.Va., April 6

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., April 7

Belmont University, Nashville, April 12

Emory University, Atlanta, April 13

University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, April 17

Baylor University, Waco, Texas, April 18

University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., April 19

Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, April 20

DePaul University, Chicago, April 21

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., April 26

Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y., April 27

Brown University, Providence, R.I., April 28

Clark University, Worchester, Mass., May 1

Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass., May 2

Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., May 3

Williams College, Williamstown, Pa., May 4

End of the road celebration, New York City, May 5

For more information about the Road to Hope tour, go online to www.hopesvoice.org. (Advocate.com)