May 5, 2016
16th Annual Legacy Grace Project Conference for Women with HIV/AIDS
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
This weekend, May 6-8, Legacy Counseling Center holds the largest conference for women living with HIV/AIDS in the nation. This year the Grace Project National Conference for Women Living with HIV/AIDS will host over 200 HIV-positive women from North Texas and nationwide.
Celebrating the conference's 16th year, the three-day conference seeks to encourage hope and hold families together, while also increasing awareness about the spread of HIV in our communities, through educational seminars on issues ranging from how to disclose your status to proper nutrition and medication adherence.
The event is designed to bring formerly isolated HIV-positive women together. The goal of the conference is to SEE (Support, Educate and Empower) each woman and create future advocates for HIV prevention, health education and awareness.
The 2016 Grace Project Conference features more than 15 health speakers, a Texas Instruments Computer Lab, the Intuit Money Matters Room, the Afyia Center Letter writing room, and will have a variety of activities to promote advocacy for HIV-positive women.
The conference has support from the HIV community of North Texas with practically every HIV organization partnering with the event. Individuals can sponsor the conference fee for one deserving HIV-positive woman for only $50, and larger sponsorships are also welcome.
The Grace Project was inspired by Grace Hunt, a loving and generous woman who counseled women with HIV/AIDS. The program seeks to encourage hope and hold families together through a supportive net of services including mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, support building, and education as women are the fastest growing population of new HIV infections. The conference is the centerpiece of the program.
Legacy Counseling Center was founded 26 years ago by a small group of psychotherapists and people living with HIV/AIDS who needed a place to go for support in dealing with this life changing disease. Legacy also operates Legacy Founders Cottage, a seven-bedroom house that provides around-the-clock care for critically ill and dying AIDS patients in a home-like setting.
The 16th Annual Legacy Grace Project Conference will be held from May 6-8 at The Hotel Intercontinental, 15201 Dallas Pkwy, Addison TX 75001.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
