For immediate release: March 31, 2010

BLOOMSBURG— Elaine Pasqua, president of Project Prevent, an organization that provides AIDS prevention education to students from elementary through high school, will speak at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s “Take Back the Night,” Wednesday, April 7, at 8 p.m. in Kehr Union, multipurpose room A. Her talk will be followed by a silent candlelight vigil, beginning at 9 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom, proceeding around the Academic Quad and ending at the steps of Carver Hall.

Pasqua began making presentations to health care and social welfare professionals about the psychosocial dynamics of HIV/AIDS in 1995, following her mother’s death from the syndrome. As she gained more insight, she began providing AIDS prevention education to secondary school and college students, broadening her area of expertise to address binge drinking, sexual responsibility and sexual assault. Her presentations include emotional stories, humor, interactive activities and outrageous songs to educate students about high-risk behaviors and encourage personal empowerment to make healthy choices.

A former member of the Pennsylvania HIV Prevention Community Planning Committee, Pasqua gained experience as a faculty member at the New Jersey AIDS Education and Training Center. She has been featured in USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Knight Ridder News Service and Time Warner Cable TV. She was a keynote speaker for the National Collegiate Athletic Association and organized AIDS awareness programming for the James A Michener Art Museum. She lives in Doylestown with her husband and two sons.

Take Back the Night is an annual event that empowers survivors and those who love them to take a stand against sexual assault. For more information, contact Lauren Lewis, graduate assistant/intern in BU’s Women’s Resource Center, (570) 389-5283 or by e-mail.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 9,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.