Zoë Dodd’s paying job is as a front line harm reduction and support worker at the South Riverdale Community Health Centre, where she works with a diverse community of clients who experience difficulties accessing conventional medical, social and community services due to low literacy or income levels; housing, family or drug use problems; gender, race, culture or mental health issues.

However, when someone asks Zoë what she does, the list is far longer.

Zoë is a community activist, concerned with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, poverty and harm reduction. She co-founded the hepatitis C program in Toronto and has been coordinating it for more than ten years; a program that has been replicated around Ontario. She is a member of local community activist organizations including AIDS Action Now! and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.

Over the past year Zoë has been featured frequently in the news. After organizing a march demanding increased government action to prevent drug overdoses, she famously confronted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the need to address the national opioid overdose crisis last May.

Then she took matters into her own hands. With too many people dying every month from opioid related overdoses Zoë, along with other volunteers, started operating an overdose prevention program out of a trailer in Moss Park last August. Zoë co-organized the unsanctioned program when three official supervised-injection sites had been approved for Toronto, but not yet opened. The site is heavily used, has prevented untold number of deaths and is finally moving to a permanent inside location this month.

Zoë has been not only an organizer, but also a lead activist with the site. Said Toronto city councilor Joe Cressy, “These courageous activists willingly broke the law to save lives. And not only did they save lives, they changed federal and provincial policy.”

As a worker and as an activist, Zoë practices community development, popular education and harm reduction within a social justice framework. Through publications, public speaking, and through her actions, Zoë is making changes to improve conditions in which people live. People in our city, in our community.

Her activism, her leadership, and her compassion are emblematic of the Casey Awards and the spirit of June Callwood.

At the height of the AIDS epidemic the Toronto drag community rallied to support the concept of a hospice for people dying of AIDS. And they must have had fun doing it, because between 1987 and 2007 there were 10 drag show fundraisers to support compassionate HIV/AIDS care at Casey House.

Called DQ, the first show in 1987 raised $38,000 to complete the purchase of 9 Huntley Street, Casey House’s home for 29 years. Writer and director Michael Oscars would go on to lead three more cabaret-style shows. The second, in 1988 raised funds for renovations to Casey House.

Some of the shows had names, The Sequin, Lucky Lady, Diva Oz Vegas, and some stayed simple, such as DQ ’92.

The 1992 show raised $105,000, seed money for Casey House’s home hospice program offering palliative nursing care for people in their homes, a service still offered to this day. This was a week of drag artist shows with a cast of more than 60.

The 1995 show raised $120,000, the largest single event in Casey House history says the ’94-’95 annual report. This was a nine day run! With over 60 men and 2 women, held at the Bathurst Street Theatre. Described by Toronto Star as “the largest, cheekiest, dazzlingest Las Vegas-style revue Toronto has ever offered”, DQ played to full houses and enthusiastic audiences.

The impact of AIDS was felt first-hand by DQ volunteers. By that show over twenty per cent of DQ cast members had died – many at Casey House. Those on stage paid tribute to the memories of those who were no longer here, and many put their own health issues aside to perform in what had become a Casey House tradition.

In 1997 the 10th anniversary show raised a record breaking $132,000 to support home hospice services. The final show at the Bathurst Street Theatre had a new creative team of Les Porter, creator and director & Don Calderwood, choreographer.

DQ ’03, ’05, ’06, ’07 were written and directed by Graham Maxwell and produced by Marlene Smith. The new venue was the Hart House Theatre.

“I don’t know a goofier, more joyous, more hard-working, more exasperating, more lovable, more generous gang of people in all of theatre,” said June Callwood in 2003. Exasperating? Whatever could she mean?

In 2006, the Lucky Lady show paid homage to the glamourous stars of old Hollywood and campy movie classics of 1960s. Held in May & August it was named the official cultural event for the 16th International AIDS Conference, hosted in Toronto.

The final show, Diva Oz Vegas, held in 2007 was the 20th anniversary production and raised $110,000.

20 years. 10 productions. One million dollars.

Three decades of client-driven compassionate care at Casey House is a milestone that would not have been possible without the enormous support of DQ’s fundraising. This award is to acknowledge this formative support.

Darien has been living with HIV since the late 1980s, when very few women in Canada had been diagnosed.

At that time, the information and support for women’s specific needs was practically non-existent. Darien co-founded Voices of Positive Women to empower and support women living with HIV. Beyond prevention messages, Voices of Positive Women strove to help people survive with HIV.

Along with Andrea Rudd, Darien published an anthology of work from HIV positive women in 1992, Positive Women: Voices of women living with AIDS that was later adapted into a short film.

She worked tirelessly as an advocate for treatment research, patient education, peer support and improvement of quality of life for PHAs.

The former co-chair of AIDS Action Now, past director of CATIE and of Casey House, Darien has found a new challenge.

She is currently leading the charge on Toronto to Zero, an ambitious initiative to end HIV in our city. Building on existing partnerships among individuals, community-based organizations health care providers, researchers and government the movement is working to end the HIV epidemic. Darien is co-chairing the Toronto to Zero champion team, alongside Murray Jose-Boerbridge.

For her leadership and activism in Toronto’s HIV/AIDS community, which are emblematic of the Casey Awards and the spirit of June Callwood.

The Teresa Group, for 30 years of supporting children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

The Teresa Group, founded in 1990 is Canada’s oldest community based charitable organization specifically serving children affected by HIV and AIDS and their families.

The Teresa Group produces resources for women who are pregnant, new mothers, children and adolescents.

They are also a founding member for the global Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS, which has been increasing its advocacy work by engaging women living with HIV in its efforts.

Closer to home, the organization provides a broad range of services in Toronto, including: support groups for parents and children, programs to support families, including one that offers free formula for a year to new mothers across Ontario, and an annual summer camp. The week-long camp has been running for five years and is offered to children between nine and 18. Kids affected by HIV get the chance to connect with others facing similar challenges, gain a sense of belonging and experience all the joys of summer camp.

In town, they run a program at SickKids Hospital, which provides a safe space for adolescents to talk about living with HIV and its challenges, such as dealing with stigma.

They also partner with local, regional and international organizations to enhance and strengthen everything they do.

Please join me to recognize the leadership, dedication and accomplishments of The Teresa Group.

Mark S. Bonham- For visionary philanthropy to LGBTQ initiatives.

Mark is being honoured for his continued and extraordinary support as a generous donor, volunteer and ambassador. He is an active supporter of the arts, education, health and the LGBTQ community, whose significant contributions have had a lasting impact, particularly at Casey House.

Mark S. Bonham has been an inspiration to Casey House for almost 20 years and is Casey House’s greatest financial supporter. In 2000, Mark made a truly transformational gift of $2.5 million. The expansion of Casey House in 2017 would not have been possible without Mark’s generous contribution to the project seventeen years earlier. This level of support was unheard of at the time within the HIV/AIDS community. This contemporary facility allowed Casey House to expand its services along with its physical and clinical capacity, marking the evolution from a hospice founded in 1988 to a specialty stand-alone hospital and global leader in HIV/AIDS care.

Mark inspires others to get involved and reaches out to his network introducing new donors and volunteers to Casey House. Most recently, Mark led a capital project fundraising effort by bringing together a group of philanthropists to support building the rooftop terrace and healing garden for inpatient clients.

A thought leader and hands-on philanthropist, Mark S. Bonham has also played a significant role in advancing other organizations across the greater Toronto area for causes near and dear to his heart.

Such as being co-chair of Egale Canada Human Rights Trust’s capital campaign for a new building dedicated to homeless LGBTQI2S youth. Mark’s generosity to this community also enabled Inside Out, the world’s third largest LGBT film festival, to establish an annual scholarship for LGBT-identified filmmakers and greatly expand its operations.

At the University of Toronto, he established the Bonham Scholarship for Rotman School of Management students. And the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies was established in 2005 through his generous $1M endowment. Today, it is the largest degree-granting program in the world in the subject of sexual diversity and includes an undergraduate program and collaborative graduate specialization with over 350 students.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to Mark on achieving this recognition of his generosity.

Haran Vijayanathan honoured with award for leadership in social justice.

Haran Vijayanathan is being recognized with The Casey Award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities.

His growing public presence as a gay man of Sri Lankan Tamil background has raised the profile of LGBTQ people in Toronto’s South Asian community. In 2018, Vijayanathan was Grand Marshal of Pride Toronto’s parade, the first of his background to lead a Pride parade anywhere in the world.

As the executive director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) he helped an organization dedicated to culturally specific support and education expand through his leadership and vision, including as many client voices as possible.

Vijayanathan was moved to respond to the homophobia, racism and classism evident in the investigation of Toronto’s eight murdered and missing men, who were targeted for their South Asian and Middle Eastern heritage. He communicated with the men’s families, established a fund to pay for dignified farewells, and advocated for an inquiry into Toronto Police Services’ handling of missing persons. He is now the coordinator for the community advisory group of the Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations.

Recently, Vijayanathan’s work has become national. In September, he was appointed as Fierté Canada Pride’s first national strategic director, responsible for strategic planning and national development initiatives. His skill at building partnerships and including the voices of those he serves will enhance his social justice efforts.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to Haran Vijayanathan for his leadership and activism in the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities, which are emblematic of the Casey Awards and the spirit of June Callwood.

M·A·C AIDS Fund awarded for unwavering commitment to HIV/AIDS community

M·A·C AIDS Fund is being recognized with The Casey Award for their outstanding commitment through financial support of the HIV/AIDS community and for their encouragement and motivation of others to take leadership roles in supporting stronger communities.

M·A·C was the first corporation to stand alongside the LGBTQ community and fight the global epidemic when many turned the other cheek. Twenty-six years later, M·A·C AIDS Fund courageously continues to tackle the toughest issues facing people living with HIV including food security, housing, and harm reduction.

Established by M·A·C Cosmetics in 1994 to support men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS, the M·A·C AIDS Fund was created in conjunction with a revolutionary cause marketing campaign: all proceeds from the sales of their iconic VIVA GLAM lipsticks are donated to programs and services that support people living with HIV/AIDS.

Since its inception, M·A·C AIDS Fund has raised over $500 million for 1,800 organizations that support over 19 million people across the globe. In 2019 alone, M·A·C AIDS Fund provided millions of dollars to over 60 organizations across Canada, including PWA, the Teresa Group, Dr. Peter AIDS Centre, Bruce House – AIDS Housing Group of Ottawa and Maison Du Parc.

M·A·C AIDS Fund was one of Casey House’s earliest corporate supporters and since 1996 has contributed over $2.1 million to a variety of initiatives including the home hospice program, Rebuilding Lives capital campaign, and harm reduction efforts. M·A·C AIDS Fund was also the very first presenting sponsor of Art With Heart. Cumulatively, they have contributed more than almost any other corporation.

Alongside financial support, years ago M·A·C would provide make-up and supplies to the queens who participated in DQ shows. These days, employees generously donate their time to help assemble the safer-injection and safer-inhalation kits Casey House distributes, and assist at fundraising events.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to M·A·C AIDS Fund on achieving this recognition for their leadership, dedication and accomplishments.

Alex Lifeson honoured with award for visionary philanthropy to HIV/AIDS initiatives

Rock & Roll hall of fame member Alex Lifeson is being recognized with The Casey Award for visionary philanthropy to HIV/AIDS initiatives. The award honours Lifeson’s continued and extraordinary support as a generous donor, volunteer and ambassador. He is an active supporter, whose significant contributions have had a lasting impact for AIDS service organizations, particularly Casey House, Ontario’s HIV/AIDS hospital.

Alex Lifeson has a personal connection to Casey House and has been an inspiration there for more than 20 years. Casey House founder June Callwood, who passed away in 2007, referred to him as an ‘ardent supporter’. When still located in their original space in a Victorian house, Lifeson would come to small social events, bring his guitar and sing along with clients and guests.

Alex Lifeson aims to make a change in an organization, and he had the opportunity to do something significant when Casey House was fundraising to expand the hospital between 2010 and 2015. He and his wife Charlene contributed to the capital campaign financially, and he worked closely with the campaign cabinet to bring a number of substantial donations to the cause.

In 2019, Alex stepped up again to contribute to a capital project to build a healing garden and rooftop terrace for inpatient clients at Casey House’s new facility. Alex was one of the first donors to commit to the garden project. Donor and campaign supporter Mark S. Bonham says, “His donation was a very important start to this small campaign and inspired other donors to step up and make pledges.”

Most recently, Lifeson committed to supporting Casey House’s advocacy initiatives, including the ongoing #smashstigma campaigns, which have raised awareness and sparked global conversation about HIV stigma.

Lifeson is known for giving from his heart, fellow musician Molly Johnson says, “He represents the community leadership needed to tackle the issues around AIDS and raise its awareness”.

Casey House extends warm congratulations to Alex Lifeson on achieving this recognition of his generosity.