Noelle Ewanda Sewell

Noelle Ewanda Sewell has been working with people with HIV for 28 years. She started in 1980 when she volunteered at St. Matthews Social Services Center (now it is known as the Gay Man’s Crisis Center) in lower Manhattan. In 1981, she attended Temple University’s School of Dental Hygiene. She worked with Dr. Michael Glick at Temple University’ High Risk Dental Clinic. The clinic provided dental services to people with infectious diseases. This is where she gained experience in recognizing the oral manifestations of HIV (it was called GRID {Gay Related Immune Disease} at that time). She went on to become the training coordinator for the National Dental Hygiene Association (NDHA), Eastern Regional Chapter, where she was responsible for developing and organizing training for NDHA members on issues of HIV and dental treatment. During this time she also become the Director of Minority Outreach for the Hyacinth Foundation where she supervised 25 volunteer educators who provided AIDS education to the minority community, specifically black churches and the prisons in Bucks County, PA and Mercer County, NJ and military installations. She also provided educational updates four times a year for the volunteer staff. In 1987, she became an advisor to Spirituality for Wellness Support group. The group addresses the spiritual needs of people living with HIV. It is one of the oldest HIV/AIDS support groups for African-Americans in the country. In 1991, Noelle became a HIV Counseling and Testing Trainer through the Center on AIDS and Substance Abuse, Falls Church, VA, where she was responsible for assisting substance abuse treatment programs in setting up HIV Counseling and Testing sites in Maryland (eastern shore), District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 1999, Noelle became the Coordinator for Restoration Urban Ministries, Inc. (RUMI). The ministry was founded in 1997 to address the response of the church to community and social problems. Noelle served as Acting President and CEO from January 2007 to January 2008. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Faith & Knowledge in Action, Inc., which assists small churches, ministries and non-profit organization with information/resource sharing and publicity. She has had articles published in The Philadelphia Sunday Tribune, MI/Productions.com, st8up.co.uk, wtamm.com and Npowermagazine.com monthly e-newsletters. Noelle was the co-chair for the Philadelphia Host Committee for NAPWA’s “Staying Alive Rising Above” Conference, which was held in Philadelphia in August 2003. She has served on the planning committee for the Annual African/Haitian Health Fair in Philadelphia since 2004. She also served as co-chair for the Special Events Committee as a part of the Host Committee for the US Conference on AIDS, which was held in Philadelphia in October 2004. Noelle is a member of WORLD (Women Organized to respond to Life-threatening Diseases), National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), Global Health Action, Global AIDS Alliance, Bucks County NAACP, International AIDS Society, Trans-Africa Forum, the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Alliance of Marketing Developers, the Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society, Women N Power and M.P.A.C.T. Sisters. She has served as a member of the 2008 Ronald McDonald House Charities African-American Future Achievers scholarship selection committee. Noelle has participated in medical missions trips to Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. In June 2008 she become a member of an Internal Review Board (IRB) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The IRB reviews medical research projects on a monthly basis. In October 2008 she was appointed board president of African Family Health Organization (AFAHO). AFAHO that assists African and Caribbean Immigrants with accessing health care and social services in the Delaware Valley. She also does presentations on issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, HIV and mental illness from a social and biblical perspective. Noelle is a 1978 graduate of P.S. du Pont High School in Wilmington, Delaware. She has an AA degree in Dental Hygiene and a BS degree in Health Education from Temple University. She is a member of the Counseling Ministry at New Covenant Church in Philadelphia. She currently works as a Medical Case Manager for an AIDS Service Organization in Philadelphia. Contact Information: (215) 500-2899 and/or (215) 635-2207 faithknowledgeaction@gmail.com Ewanda4299@hotmail.com