Paul Austin is honoured with award for outstanding philanthropic leadership for the HIV/AIDS community

Paul Austin is being recognized with a Casey Award for leadership in philanthropy for the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ communities. The award commemorates Paul’s pivotal early support for multiple AIDS service organizations (ASOs), and continued dedication to the HIV community through his generous financial contributions. He carries a longstanding history of donations made individually and from the P. Austin Family Foundation, which he runs alongside his wife Pamela.

During the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Paul was a keen financial supporter of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). This critical funding provided vital services to the community during a time of peak discrimination and stigmatization of people with HIV and AIDS. Similarly, many years later he was a key benefactor in the establishment of HQ Toronto, a community health centre that provides sexual, mental, and social health services to MSM, two-spirit, and non-binary people.

Paul has also demonstrated considerable leadership with a landmark donation to Rainbow Railroad and his multi-decade support for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR). Paul leveraged his network, time, and resources to help produce innovative projects. This includes direct funding of research, prevention initiatives, and educational resources. Through a pioneering donation from the P. Austin Family Foundation, CANFAR launched the national youth-driven educational platform Sexfluent, which offers topical and accessible sexual health information dedicated to ending the transmission of HIV.

Through his extensive portfolio of philanthropic endeavours, Paul Austin exemplifies unwavering commitment to health care, research, and community development in the HIV sector. His efforts have bolstered ASOs with resources for HIV testing, counselling and health care services, research, and innovative programming. Moreover, the impacts of his support will cascade into a new era, as the next generation of youth will be given additional resources for well-being.

Paul’s dedication and initiative are an inspiring example for emerging philanthropists. His gifts have touched the lives of many across decades, communities, intersectionalities, and borders. Casey House extends warm congratulations to Paul Austin on achieving this recognition of his generosity.

John McCullagh honoured for decades of leadership in social justice and volunteer service for the HIV/AIDS community

John McCullagh is being recognized with a Casey Award for leadership in social justice and volunteer service for the HIV/AIDS community. He has been working as part of the HIV+ and LGBTQ2S+ communities since immigrating to Canada from England in 1975, and his decades of activism and community organizing have made a tremendously positive impact.

In 1981, he co-founded David Kelley Services (formerly known as the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbians and Gays), a counselling and support service for the queer community and those living with HIV. This was the start of the AIDS epidemic, and these services were essential for people diagnosed with HIV to find comfort, care, and community. Forty years on, the program continues.

As a social worker with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto in the early ‘90s, John founded the Out and Proud program, which ensured that youth in child welfare services could be provided inclusive and identity-affirming care. At that time, John carried a lone but adamant voice in advocating for queer youth in the child welfare sector, and his unfaltering determination successfully brought the initiative into reality.

Throughout the years, John continued to participate in HIV-related endeavours. He facilitated groups at the AIDS Committee Toronto (ACT) where he provided social support for people living with HIV, particularly long-term survivors. He would often use these findings to draft strategies for interventions to prevent further HIV transmissions in the population and share them with his networks.

In the 2010s he was the volunteer publisher of the PositiveLite, a Canadian online HIV magazine run by community members who shared their lived experiences with the diagnosis, stigma, and health care system. This platform was an early and vocal supporter of social concepts ‘Undetectable=Untransmittable’, ‘Prevention as Treatment’, and ‘Treatment as Prevention’.

His next landmark project was as co-chair of the gay men’s health hub task group in the Toronto to Zero initiative in 2019. This group of professionals in the health and social services sectors joined together to discuss the creation of an integrated health hub in Toronto for gay, two-spirit, transgender, and nonbinary folks. This led to the opening of HQ Toronto in 2021, which provides mental, social, and sexual health services. As founding co-chair, John remains as a board member for the organization.

He has participated in multiple research projects for the well-being of people living with HIV. Noteworthy highlights include the CHESS Study, designed to address COVID-19 hardships for people living with HIV in Ontario; the CHANGE HIV study, a five-year cohort study on the complexities of aging and HIV; and A Prescription for a Renewed HIV Sector, a series of recommendations to positively transform the sector created alongside fellow advocates Ron Rosenes, Tony Di Pede, and Darien Taylor. The latter served as a contributing resource for the HIV Action Plan of 2030 for the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS.

In case that wasn’t enough, John has also held leadership and board roles with CATIE, ACT, the Ontario AIDS Network, Central Toronto Youth Services, and the Queen West Community Health Centre. He demonstrates incredible leadership, and has undoubtedly inspired many with his decades of commitment to the HIV and LGBTQ2S+ communities.  Casey House extends warm congratulations to John McCullagh with a Casey Award.

Deborah Norris honoured with award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS community

Deborah Norris is being recognized with a Casey Award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS community. Deborah is an Edmontonian known as a stalwart volunteer, peer, advocate, and leader in the HIV community. With more than three decades of service and advocacy, she has been a fixture in local, national, and international HIV community organizations.

After her HIV diagnosis in 1991, Deborah quickly pivoted into advocacy work. The following year, despite having to navigate the difficult and complex emotions that come with being newly diagnosed with HIV, she publicly announced her positive status. Deborah channeled her energy for a new purpose: advocating for better HIV health care and reducing the public’s stigma of people living with HIV.

She leveraged her lived experiences and bachelor’s degree in psychology in her many roles over the following years, including frontline support worker, outreach worker, peer, and researcher for many HIV-related projects including the Alberta HIV Stigma Index project and the Resiliency in LGBTQ2S+ Seniors project. She is also a contributor, reviewer, and advisory committee member for the Providing Services to Older Adults Living with HIV Online project.

Deborah followed her solo endeavours by leading many group organizations related to HIV. Locally, she was a founding chair of the Alberta Society of Positive Women, chairperson of HIV Edmonton, and is a caucus member and former chair of the United Voices of HIV Alberta. Nationally, she is co-chair of the independent Canadian Positive People Network and director of the western region for CATIE.

Deborah is especially passionate about the well-being of sexually exploited youth and women living with HIV. Her work identifies the unique experiences of women with HIV, and how intersectionalities of race and gender expression further contribute to the health disparities they face. Deborah offers a powerful voice in furthering progression and representation for the greater HIV community.

Her commitment to advocacy for the HIV/AIDS community has made waves across the country. During a time where she initially considered her diagnosis to be a death sentence, Deborah demonstrated immense courage to pursue a career guided by empathy and care.  Casey House extends warm congratulations to Deborah Norris on achieving this recognition.

 

 

HYPE Program honoured with award for innovative leadership for the HIV/AIDS community

The HIV+ Youth Peer Engagement (HYPE) Program, a service led by the AIDS Committee of Durham Region (ACDR), is being recognized for innovative leadership for the HIV/AIDS community. HYPE supports HIV+ youth as they transition from pediatric care into the adult HIV health care system through peer support and programming.

HYPE was established in 2011 after the ACDR identified the unique challenges of HIV+ youth. Kids were aging out of pediatric care without a social support network, systems navigation knowledge, or an understanding of services and resources. A minor may receive warm, holistic, and subsidized health care that is entirely facilitated by the adults in their family; however, the HIV care system is considerably more fragmented and daunting for a young person to navigate in early adulthood. These difficulties are compounded with the fundamental changes in cognitive development and emotional needs during the transition from teenage years to adulthood. To address these needs, HYPE builds emotional capacity and reduces social isolation by connecting HIV+ youth with each other and with older peers that have lived experience in HIV care systems.

Through these social connections, youth are empowered to advocate for their own health while being coached by peers. With these networking and mentoring opportunities, individuals are empowered to become new leaders for the next up-and-coming generation of HIV+ adults continuing the cycle of community-led care. Furthermore, the program collaborates with HIV health professionals on how they can better support young clients as they are transitioning between care streams.

HYPE facilitates peer relationships with youth, organizes education and social events, and hosts yearly retreats. Its first youth retreat took place in 2018 in Orillia, where participants could engage in fun activities and connect with a group of companions with shared lived experience. These experiences are especially valuable for this population, who is particularly susceptible to internalize HIV-related discrimination if they become isolated. HYPE’s programming circumvents this by fundamentally honouring the two shared identities of being a young person and living with HIV.  With ongoing participation, young people living with HIV feel seen, supported, and empowered.

Building community capacity is a necessary step to ensure that youth do not fall into clinical gaps of care that could impact their futures. The HYPE program is a commendable grassroots initiative that has increased accessibility and awareness of resources for young people living with HIV. Casey House extends warm congratulations to the HYPE program and AIDS Committee of Durham Region with a Casey Award.

 

 

Shirley Young honoured with award for exceptional service as a volunteer to the HIV/AIDS community

Shirley Young is being recognized with a Casey Award posthumously for exceptional volunteer service to the HIV/AIDS community. Shirley was a renowned volunteer at the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, who passed away in August, 2024 after over three decades of service for people living with HIV.

During the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Shirley’s son Dr. Peter Jepson-Young was diagnosed with HIV. A CBC-TV documentary series, The Dr. Peter Diaries, later publicized his experience as a young gay physician living with HIV to a national audience. Shirley stood firmly by his side amidst the social discrimination associated with the disease, while expanding her own perspectives on HIV stigma. This is how she became a fierce advocate for the HIV community. Ultimately Peter died in 1992, which motivated Shirley to lead the development of the Dr. Peter Centre, where individuals living with HIV could receive dignified stigma-free health care, meals, and recreational programming.

When the Dr. Peter Centre first opened its doors in 1997, Shirley volunteered in a variety of roles and served as the head matriarch of the organization—with many clients simply calling her “mom”. Her warm presence was felt by all those who entered the space. She deeply understood the myriad and complex challenges that impacted the community: mental health struggles, addiction, homelessness, and poverty, in addition to HIV. No matter their circumstances, Shirley treated every person who entered Dr. Peter Centre with love and care. Her signature greeting says it all, “Are you a hugger? Well, never mind, I am.”

Over the course of the next 27 years at the Dr. Peter Centre, Shirley served meals to clients alongside other volunteers. Her high-touch and compassionate attitude was a guiding star for the Dr. Peter Centre staff to follow. She was celebrated by the Indigenous community through the creation of a totem pole erected in the Dr. Peter Centre lobby, where she is commemorated as the “Mother Bear”. And at her celebration of life, she was honoured in a blanketing ceremony by Indigenous Elders.

Shirley Young will be remembered for her decades of compassion and dedication to the HIV/AIDS community. Her unfaltering love for her son evolved and expanded into a sincere love for all those who may have been excluded from society. Casey House extends warm congratulations to Shirley Young’s family and the Dr. Peter Centre community as we celebrate her with a Casey Award.

TD Bank Group is being recognized with a Casey Award for their unwavering commitment through financial support of the HIV/AIDS community.

The award honours TD Bank Group’s long-standing support for the organization and its mission.

TD Bank Group is one of Casey House’s generous corporate leaders. They have demonstrated outstanding dedication to Casey House and the LGBTQ+ community through over 30 years of financial and leadership support, donating over $3 million in support of hospital programs and services.

For the past 15 years, TD has been the presenting sponsor of Art With Heart, Casey House Foundation’s largest signature fundraiser. Their leadership has helped the program expand, reach new audiences, and raise significant funds for the hospital. The leaders at TD are keen to see the event succeed and their partnership is an incredible boon to the auction organizers and volunteers.

In recent years, TD has chosen to support Casey House’s outpatient services and clinics, focusing on early detection and intervention of chronic diseases and medical conditions. Their support helps the hospital continue to decrease barriers to health care and fill gaps in services for people living with and at risk of HIV.

In addition to the ongoing financial support, TD Bank Group employees are also committed volunteers. From hands on support building harm reduction kits or helping assemble client gifts to lending their expertise as members of a committee, the TD community is present. A series of art collection curators have participated in the Art With Heart curatorial committee, which is responsible for sourcing, reviewing and selecting the artwork for each year’s auction collection.

TD Bank Group has been a leader in the LGBTQ+ community and an incredible supporter of small and medium organizations that benefit enormously from their support. They have also supported the development of intercommunity relationships through their social gatherings and networking events. The resulting impact on the HIV community is felt and greatly appreciated.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to TD Bank Group and its employees on achieving this recognition of their generosity.

Gord Hamilton is being recognized with a Casey Award for philanthropic leadership and volunteer service for the HIV/AIDS community. outstanding commitment through financial contributions.

The award honours Hamilton’s continued and extraordinary support as a generous donor and volunteer, and his resulting impact on the HIV community.

In 2020, Gord was recognized for an exemplary decade of volunteer service with Casey House. His regular presence in the house spoke to his commitment and interest in clients. Formerly a teacher, he also appreciated the learning opportunities. “It was a lot of fun”, says Gord, “and you got the opportunity to connect with other volunteers, as well as upgrade your training, your knowledge, and awareness”.

In addition to having had many friends die at Casey House, Gord saw the care first-hand when his partner Denis needed support. The attention to quality health care and dedication of the team made an indelible impact during a challenging time. Sadly, Denis passed away at Casey House in 2016.

Gord has been donating to Casey House Foundation for 27 years, since 1993. He is a loyal monthly donor, recognizing that this regular support provides the hospital with a dependable source of funds to continue its work. His unwavering monthly contributions exemplify his dedication to ensuring that Casey House can consistently deliver its vital services to those who need their care and support.

Gord’s choice to include Casey House in his will through a bequest further extends his commitment to the organization. Gord says, “We’re always going to need a place like Casey House, where there’s compassion and care.” His forethought ensures that his legacy will continue to support Casey House’s mission.

This is someone who contributes however he can, embodying the values and philosophy of Casey House, which extends warm congratulations to Gord Hamilton for his contributions.

St. Michael’s Hospital’s Positive Pregnancy Program, also known as the P3 Clinic, is being recognized with a Casey Award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS community.

For over 15 years, the program has provided quality health care for pregnant women living with HIV in the GTA. The clinic marries obstetrics and midwifery, and combines advocacy and medical expertise to support pregnant women.

Eighty per cent of the program’s clients are part of racialized and Indigenous communities and most have been living in Canada for fewer than five years and have little, if any, support. The women experience marginalization and have infrequent access to health care. Says nominator Dr. Douglas Campbell, “the women are often alone in Canada, newly arriving from conflict zones and/or forced migration…[they] bring heart-breaking stories and an incredible determination to provide better care for their babies.”

With the P3 clinic’s support and a trauma-informed approach to care almost 400 healthy babies have been born, including many siblings.

The incredible clinic team, led by nurse Cathy Beatty, midwife Jay MacGillvary and physician Mark Yudin, works extensively with each family. They care for approximately 30 clients per year and many women return for care of subsequent pregnancies.

Extensive consultation and collaboration outside of the hospital transpires with community partners such as Teresa Group, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands and The Hospital for Sick Children.

The program was established 15 years ago, when women living with HIV were experiencing intense stigma and discrimination, particularly when admitted for delivery. It was a welcome innovation. “A program that would be non-judgmental, where women were treated with respect while their needs were attended to was urgently needed,” says Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre director of research and programs, Wangari Tharao. The Positive Pregnancy Program delivered what was needed. It led the standardization of care in delivery for women living with HIV. With a values-led model of care where all the care providers are involved in an individual woman’s journey to childbirth.

Through kindness, collaboration and innovation, the Positive Pregnancy Program exemplifies the heart and spirit of the Casey Awards. Casey House extends warm congratulations to the P3 Clinic.

Blue Door Clinic is being recognized with a Casey Award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS community.

The award honours the innovation and successful implementation of a novel health care solution.

Blue Door Clinic is a relatively young community collaboration providing interim health care and social supports to people living with HIV in the greater Toronto area who have precarious or no health insurance coverage.

Being HIV+ without access to medication can be life-threatening. The clinic’s free and confidential services include HIV primary care, laboratory testing, connection to medication access programs, and support navigating community services such as housing, legal and immigration support. These services are provided by a remarkable team of interdisciplinary professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, case managers and peer support workers, who provide services in-kind from over 12 different service organizations.

People living with HIV, who have precarious, or no health care coverage represent a significant gap in the HIV care engagement cascade. The people most likely to be without access to health care are those with precarious or no immigration status. According to Ryan Peck of HALCO, this population is, “overwhelmingly comprised of racialized people who may be marginalized due to HIV stigma, racism, homophobia, transphobia, poverty, immigration status, violence, and more.” Even those with immigration status may be without identification needed to access care.

Since opening in August 2019, this low-barrier clinic has provided care to over 300 people from over 40 different countries of origin and has almost 160 active clients. The multidisciplinary coalition of health and community service agencies was originally hosted by Regent Park Community Health Centre, but recently found a new home at Casey House in October 2023, thus beginning a new chapter for the clinic.

This recognition honours the launch of a unique, collaborative and holistic care model, and for the culturally competent, lifesaving services provided to individuals who would not otherwise have access to HIV care or treatment. Says Ower Oberto, board chair for Latinos Positivos, “Their commitment to social justice, leadership, and compassion for individuals living with HIV, especially those with precarious immigration status, is nothing short of inspiring.” Waheeda Ali from CAYR Community Connections, the only ASO in York Region said, “one individual stated that they are no longer fearful of tomorrow…”.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to the Blue Door Clinic team on achieving this recognition.