As part of a new campaign to promote AIDS awareness, Who's Positive Inc. presented its first billboard Monday on U.S. Route 220 near Lock Haven.
The billboard displays the picture of founder and executive director Tom Donohue of State College.
Next to his picture it reads: "My name is Tom ... 25 years old ... HIV positive ... and in your neighborhood. JUST LIKE HIV. Have You Been Tested Lately?"
Donohue, a former Penn State student, found out he was HIV positive last October after a routine blood test.
Two months later, he started the non-profit organization Who's Positive to offer insight into the life of HIV-positive youth.
"The only thing I could do is move on from that point and help prevent others from getting infected," Donohue said. "I want to be able to reach out to people."
This year, he said he wanted to create a billboard to reach out to a wider audience.
He added that HIV affects people of every age, race and gender.
"A billboard doesn't discriminate against who sees it," Donohue said. "Neither does HIV. For that quick moment of time, people [who see the billboard] are traveling along the same journey as I am."
Allison Subasic, director for the Student Resource Center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied community, said she hopes students will see the billboard.
"Tom wants to let younger people know they are susceptible to HIV," she said. "I admire him for that."
Donohue said he hopes the campaign will help curb stereotypes of people with the virus. "I'm young and I'm just like everybody else," he said. "If I didn't tell you I was HIV positive you'd never know. It's a way to get people to step out of that box."
The billboard was made possible because of a $5,500 grant from Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. and monies that were donated by University Health Services (UHS) and the Penn State Alumni Association.
"He's sending an important message, which is that students can't be naïve about HIV; they need to be proactive," Ellen Nagy, UHS marketing manager, said. "He's been very courageous and honest about his diagnosis, and he's sending the message that HIV can't be ignored."
Carol Berzonsky, AIDS Project of Centre County director, said she appreciates Donohue for his courageousness.
"He's really sticking his neck out in the community," she said. "Not everyone is willing to be that open."
Donohue advises anyone who could be at risk of HIV or AIDS to go to his Web site, www.whospositive.com, which provides links to local sites for HIV testing.
He will be visiting campus Nov. 18 to share his story with students.
