ACT e-Bulletin, Vol. 4 No. 1

The ACT e-Bulletin
March/April 2009

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Fashion Cares builds for another spectacle in 2010

Fashion Cares, held November 1, 2008 was a resounding success - both critically and in its goal of raising much-needed funds for the programs and services of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).

In order to continue to build on this success, organizers have decided to take a longer planning horizon. "It takes a tremendous amount of time to pull together this event," says Meredith Marr, ACT Director of Development. Organizers also believe that a longer planning timeline is needed due to the current economic environment. "We have decided that using 2009 as a bridge year for sponsors and patrons will make sure we are well positioned to make our next Fashion Cares spectacular, the most memorable yet," says Michael King, the Volunteer Chair of Fashion Cares. "We're encouraging key volunteers, sponsors and others to start the wheels in motion now for Fashion Cares 2010."

Meanwhile, ACT will be focusing on a number of Fashion Cares satellite events in 2009 and will announce further details on those events in the coming months. ACT will also continue to develop its other major fundraising events - the annual AIDS Walk for Life Toronto held in September, and SNAP!, a photographic art auction held in the early spring.

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Just the facts!

Myth: Most young people today know a lot about HIV/AIDS.

Fact: A study of Canadian youth conducted in 2002 indicated that knowledge about sexual health has declined since 1989. One half of grade 9 students thought there was a cure for AIDS!

25 years into the pandemic, education about HIV/AIDS is needed now more than ever. Our volunteers and staff have heard all the myths out there about HIV/AIDS. The myths are harmful and prevent people from making the right decisions to protect themselves, which is why it's so important for our outreach and education team to get the facts out there.

Myth: The problem of HIV/AIDS is so big, I can't make a difference.

Fact: Yes, you can make a difference! Support the outreach and education programs of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) by making a donation today!

To show your support, please call 416.340.8484 x 279 or visit www.actoronto.org/donations

Condom Stuffing Idol 2009

ACT is hosting another season of our wildly successful Condom Stuffing Idol contests. We're looking for enthusiastic and nimble-fingered volunteers to help us assemble condom lube packs. We provide refreshments and pizza. Grand prize winners based on participation. The more you contribute, the greater your chances of winning!

Condom Stuffing Idol 2009 runs alternating Thursdays and Tuesdays this April from 6:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at our offices (399 Church St, 4th floor) until the grand finale on Tuesday, April 30th.

Mark your calendar: Thursday, April 2; Tuesday, April 7; Thursday, April 16; Tuesday, April 21; Thursday, April 30.

Show up. Bring a friend. Sign in. Get stuffing. Win great prizes!

For more information, visit www.actoronto.org/condomstuffing or contact Wilson Ho at 416.340.8484 x 275 or who@actoronto.org

Do you have what it takes?

This is the question gay and bisexual men will be asked across Canada with the launch of a new social marketing campaign by the Montreal organization Séro Zéro in partnership with organizations from seven other Canadian cities. ACT is one of the national partners in this initiative.

The concept behind the campaign: Three different illustrations have been created for this campaign. Each is intended to evoke a scenario related to a search for intimacy or romance, a taste for adventure, or an interest in sensation-seeking. All of these illustrations are accompanied by the same caption: "Sex, Passion, Romance, Adventure ... Do you have what it takes?" By formulating the caption as a question, the campaign aims to encourage gay and bisexual men to engage in self-reflection, striving to do so in an open-minded way that avoids imposing value judgments or making assumptions about a person's sexual practices.

The slogan "Do you have what it takes?" also serves to refer the target audience to the campaign web site (www.what-it-takes.org) for additional information about the campaign, health and wellness tips, and links to local HIV prevention and health promotion organizations that provide services adapted to the needs of gay and bisexual men.

Is there a job hiding in your closet?

Out it for Employment Action!

Employment Action is a program of the AIDS Committee of Toronto that places people living with HIV looking to (re)enter the workforce in jobs with supportive employers.

Employment Action clients need your help. They are looking for jobs in the current economy, and the best jobs never make it to a website or an advertisement. In times like these, networking is where the jobs are. Please talk to your friends, family, neighbours and acquaintances about potential job openings.

Let them know that there is a free placement service that can find qualified, pre-screened candidates for them. If Employment Action doesn't have the right person, we are affiliated with the Job Opportunity Information Network (JOIN) of employment agencies. Through them, we have access to over 3,000 job seekers!

Keep your eyes and ears open for job opportunities. You just might change someone's life.

You can contact us with information about potential jobs or have the employers contact us directly at solutions@employmentaction.org

Exploring Choices seeking HIV-negative guys

Exploring Choices provides support to gay and bi men wanting to explore the connections between their drug use, drinking and sex. We are now recruiting HIV negative guys for a third group. The group runs for seven weeks. For eligibility details and more information, please contact the study office at exploringchoices@camh.net or 416.535.8501 x 7188. Your help in circulating this information to your contacts would be greatly appreciated!

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) has joined with Casey House, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Ontario AIDS Bureau, St. Michael's Hospital and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto to offer Exploring Choices. Exploring Choices provides a new harm reduction-based support option that tests the efficacy of motivational interviewing in a group context.

Community Health Forum

At this month's Community Health Forum, we have secured a special guest speaker from Vancouver to speak on the topic of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C co-infection: Transmission and Treatment.

Brian Conway, MD, is a full-time assistant professor in the University of British Columbia's Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Coordinator of the Downtown Infectious Diseases Clinic in Vancouver and Infectious Diseases Consultant with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which serves the inner city population on the infamous "Downtown East Side".

Also speaking at the forum will be Rui Pires, Education and Training Coordinator for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).

Some of the topics covered include:
·   Prioritizing treatment of hepatitis C vs. HIV
·   Being aware of potential depression and accompanying side effects
·   Effectiveness of treatment if living with HIV
·   Risks of becoming infected with hepatitis C if living with HIV
·   Hepatitis C sexual transmission and prevention

WHEN: Thursday, March 26, 2009
Light buffet at 6:30 pm
Presentation at 7 to 9pm

WHERE: Metro Central YMCA
20 Grosvenor Street
(one block north of College, off Yonge)

Community Health Forums are an opportunity for people living with HIV/AIDS to have an open discussion on a variety of issues. Admission is free, no registration is required, and the facility is wheelchair accessible. Child care subsidies are available on request. Please contact Robin Rhodes for more information at 416.340.8484 x 219 or rrhodes@actoronto.org.

Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life 2009
Get your walking shoes ready! Save the date: Sunday, September 20, 2009 is when we Walk for Life again. Circle your calendars, mark your iPhones and Blackberries, create a Facebook event, make a note in Google calendar. Whatever you do: don't forget! More information will be forthcoming at www.aidswalkforlifetoronto.ca

Special thanks to our SNAP! sponsors

We would like to thank the many sponsors, supporters and contributors who made SNAP! this year a resounding success; we extend to them our warmest appreciation and gratitude. Their commitments make it possible for the AIDS Committee of Toronto to provide support to the many men, women and children who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

We would like to especially thank TD Canada Trust who have demonstrated year after year their ongoing commitment to supporting SNAP! and the work of ACT. We would also like to welcome Elevator Digital to the SNAP! family as our newest partner. The event provides a great opportunity for both renowned and emerging artists to showcase their work.

SNAP! 09 would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following sponsors:
TD Canada Trust, Elevator Digital, Tall Poppy Advertising and Design, The Lowe-Martin Group, Air Canada, Sheraton Hotels, Fujifilm, Xtra!, Edward Day Gallery, Dimensions Custom Framing & Gallery, Discount Car & Truck Rental, vitaminwater, and Steamwhistle

And to our special supporters and contributors:
a la Carte Kitchen, Canadian Art Magazine, Now Magazine, Paradigm Public Relations, Ritchies Auctioneers, Toronto Life Magazine, Ontario Portable Display Systems

Attending ACT events has its advantages!

A few lucky guests who attended our 25th Anniversary Volunteer Appreciation Event in January went home with prize packages from Air Canada! Guests attending the SNAP! event on March 1st had a chance to win a trip for two to New York City, also courtesy of Air Canada. "With vacation prizes like these, attending ACT events has its advantages," said Denis Vandal, Director of Marketing, Communications and Brand Manager at Air Canada.

Air Canada Vacations recently introduced gay and lesbian packages to 11 popular destinations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. Two vacation packages were generously donated to ACT and were auctioned off at last fall's Fashion Cares. "We know what a difference ACT has made to the community over the past twenty-five years and we are proud to help in any way we can," said Nino Montagnese, Senior Director, Sales at Air Canada Vacations.

Le Groupe Franco GLBT

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) is pleased to partner with Action Positive to present le Groupe Franco GLBT every last Thursday of the month, from 6 to 8 pm.

It's an opportunity to meet new people, go to the theatre, a concert, or the museum - or simply to enjoy a light snack and conversation with French-speaking GLBT people in Toronto. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Carlos Idibouo at carlos@francoqueer.ca or 416.340.8484 x 260.

The next meeting will take place on March 26, 2009.

Substance use and being HIV-positive

Meetings facilitated by poz gay men who identify as substance users will be taking place on the third Tuesday of every month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at the 519 Community Centre, in Room 313.

This is a community member initiative in partnership with the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (TPWAF).

This is a gay positive space where anyone who is HIV-positive and is or was a substance user is welcome to attend. The group follows a harm reduction model which means that the goals of the individual are supported, including: abstinence, reduction and maintenance. Harm reduction prioritizes safety above all else.

The group strives to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for HIV-positive substance users to discuss common issues, share information and support one another.

For more information, please contact Rick Julien at 416.323.9748 or rickjulienbsc@rogers.com

Don't let stigma isolate you!

ACT e-Bulletin, Vol. 4 No. 1

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