RAIN’s empowers persons living with HIV and those at risk to be healthy and stigma free. RAIN envisions ending HIV in our community.
RAIN is one of the largest HIV nonprofits in the Carolinas providing direct client services and is widely recognized for its unique model and expertise in working with persons living with HIV and AIDS. RAIN has received a number of national and state awards for accomplishments and innovative practices. RAIN integrates the wisdom and voices of those infected with HIV in the planning and delivery of services. As a result of their work, they inspire and empower more people to live, open more minds, and help break stigma of HIV.
RAIN educates and advocates for all people living with HIV and to work for a greater understanding of how it affects everyone regardless of race, gender, immigration status, and sexual orientation.
Rev. Debbie Warren and a group of committed volunteers seeked a way to engage the faith community in meeting the challenges of HIV/AIDS prevention and end of life care; RAIN was birthed out of this commitment and was founded RAIN in 1992. This early, ecumenical response of volunteers and staff helped to frame the community’s dialogue about HIV/AIDS, replacing judgment with understanding, prejudice with compassion and ignorance with knowledge.
With the advent of antiretroviral therapies, RAIN transitioned from providing end of life care to meeting client needs of treatment education, access to medical care and medications, emergency assistance and other issues which impact health and quality of life. Staff members provide services to clients with integrity and compassion. RAIN is known for quality outcomes in HIV services and has received recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation and the state of North Carolina HIV/STD Care Branch. RAIN’s work has been featured on the CBS Evening News, NC public television and in two national HIV/AIDS magazines, HIV Plus and A and U. In 2016, POZ – an award winning online and print resource for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS - selected four RAIN staff members for the annual POZ 100, a special recognition of the contributions of individuals living and working in the South who are committed to ending the HIV epidemic.
