Cable Positive Joins Forces With Youth AIDS Organization; Thomas Henning’s Leadership Role Expanded

NEW YORK - March 27, 2008

Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry’s AIDS action organization, has joined forces with the youth oriented AIDS awareness organization, Living Beyond Belief, in a partnership that formalizes Cable Positive’s active involvement in the education and empowerment of young people. Through this partnership -- under which Living Beyond Belief is housed at Cable Positive headquarters -- Thomas Henning, SVP, Programs & Operations at Cable Positive will assume the additional responsibilities of Executive Director of Living Beyond Belief.

“This is a perfect partnership,” said Cable Positive’s President & CEO, Steve Villano. “Living Beyond Belief is already working with us on developing the Youth AIDS Media Institute, funded by the Motorola Foundation. And, there is no more appropriate person to lead this exciting new joint venture than Thomas, who designed Cable Positive’s Youth AIDS Media Institute, and brings years of experience of grassroots HIV/AIDS work to the cause.”

Henning brings with him over 10 years of dedicated work in the HIV/AIDS arena and a proven track record of achieving results. At Cable Positive, Henning has spearheaded the production of the award-winning Positive Voices: Women & HIV documentary that is currently airing nationwide on Showtime Networks, Inc., the production of a revolutionary public service campaign featuring HIV positive youth, and the organization’s first direct service international/domestic campaign “One-for-One,” which in six months has already met its budget goal for the year.

“Teaching young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS, is one, if not the most important task the media and AIDS awareness organizations should be focusing on. Right now, kids, ages 15 - 24 around the globe account for about half of all new HIV infections each year,” said Henning. “Living Beyond Belief’s role in educating and empowering young people about the AIDS epidemic is vital to halting the spread of this disease. I look forward to expanding our work with Living Beyond Belief to create lasting awareness messages that reach young people far beyond our city.”

Living Beyond Belief teaches HIV/AIDS prevention education, raises HIV/AIDS awareness among youth, and motivates NYC high school students to become HIV/AIDS peer educators, activists and advocates by providing them with college grants for their AIDS-related work. With experience in peer education, Living Beyond Belief brings a new skill set to Cable Positive, and as the organization readies the first ever Youth AIDS Media Institute, with the goal of teaching youth to be better peer educators through using media.

In commenting on the partnership, Bari Zahn, Living Beyond Belief’s President &
Co-founder said "We are very excited about joining the Cable Positive Family and having Thomas direct our work. Now more than ever, we feel certain about our ability to better engage youth, from diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, in all aspects of HIV/AIDS prevention, education and awareness. This partnership will allow us to reach even more young people by using the arts, and media to raise AIDS awareness in communities and schools around the country."

ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE:

Founded in 1992, Cable Positive is a non profit organization dedicated to unifying the talents, resources, access and influence of the communications industry to raise AIDS awareness; to fund AIDS education, research and care; and to promote a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS.

ABOUT LIVING BEYOND BELIEF:

In 1997, a family-funded scholarship program for teen HIV/AIDS peer leaders was created at Martin Luther King High School in memory of Wayne Fischer, the first NYC teacher to publicly disclose that he was HIV positive. In 2002, the Living Beyond Belief Fund was founded under the North Star Fund to expand its reach to include all NYC public high schools. In 2003, the organization achieved its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and expanded its goals to include HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention education among youth.