Ypsilanti, MI to host 2010 Women Living Conference

The Women Living 2010 conference is coming to Michigan – and organizers are looking for volunteers and donations to help make it happen.

Originally held in Illinois for the past six years, conference planner Barbara Marcotte’s move from Chicago to Michigan signaled the annual HIV-positive women’s event switch, too. This year, the plan is to hold Women Living in Ypsilanti on Saturday. July 31.

The one-day conference invites women of all ages who are HIV positive to participate in workshops, listen to inspirational speakers, share ideas and connect as a community. The event invites women from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and any other surrounding states with willing participants.

It’s Marcotte’s goal for her passion for the event to spread throughout the entire community. “My hope is to motivate the community to take it on and kind of show them the model I used,” she said. “From there on, maybe, I’m hoping it can be an annual thing and I’d like to be involved and help out either way.”

It’s a goal that has already partially been achieved, with planners of the conference hailing from the Michigan Women and AIDS Committee, AIDS Partnership Michigan and the Detroit Health and Wellness Promotion Department. The Oakland/Livingston Human Service Agency is helping to fund the project.

Details for the conference are still in the works, but will include a large variety of workshops with local and national leaders in HIV/AIDS. Workshops will address social, emotional and educational needs of women living with HIV, as well as – Marcotte hopes – inspire them to connect and be active in their communities.

There will also be two speakers, including comedian and motivational speaker River Huston. Huston, a native of Pennsylvania, is an award-winning poet, artist, journalist and activist. She has traveled around the U.S. speaking on such issues as sexuality, HIV/AIDS and self-esteem. She also happens to be HIV positive. “She’s hilarious,” gushed Marcotte. “She’s a woman living with HIV and she’s very inspirational.”

The other speaker has not yet been confirmed. [FULL STORY]