The Casey Awards 2008
| THE CASEY AWARDS 2008: INAUGURAL RECIPIENTS JUNE CALLWOOD Esteemed journalist, author and activist June Callwood inspired Canadians for more than six decades through her words and actions. One of the most exceptional and respected voices in Canada, Callwood was a proud career journalist and writer who won acclaim and a loyal following for her writing in newspapers and magazines. Callwood was one of the brave team of volunteers who worked hard in the mid-1980's to establish Casey House as a place of medical excellence, love and compassion in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Thanks to their vision, Casey House opened in 1988 as one of the world’s first free-standing hospices for people with HIV/AIDS. Callwood’s lifelong passion for advocating for the rights of all people to lives of safety and dignity also extended to numerous other causes, including poverty, illness, freedom of expression, diversity and women and children in crisis. June passed away in April 2007. Following is an excerpt from the acceptance speech delivered by Jack Manchester, Callwood's grandson, on behalf of her family: "...If my grandmother could be here tonight, she would most certainly be expressing her gratitude to everyone here honouring her, not just with the recognition of this award but with the contribution of their time and their support towards this cause so dear and so necessary and important to her.The drive behind Casey House from all its many contributors --including my grandmother-- did not come from elite education, nor some saintly wisdom, nor an ambition for gain. Quite the contrary, it was simply within their humanity to recognize a group of people needing to be reminded with kindness that they are important, and that they are not alone. Resplendent in the people that keep Casey House a beautiful place today is that same human kindness that can not help but improve the subjective Earthly experiences of anyone it touches. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for remembering her and for keeping this legacy alive." FRANK ANGELO & FRANK TOSKAN From the first days of M•A•C, company co-founders Frank Angelo and Frank Toskan incorporated a sense of social responsibility to the community in their internationally successful cosmetics enterprise. They were pioneers of industry in offering AIDS-related fundraising programs, environmental initiatives and cruelty-free manufacturing policies. In 1994, as AIDS spread across the globe, they searched for a way to respond to the epidemic, eventually creating the M•A•C AIDS Fund, with the full support of their employees. Since that time, all retail sales from the highly successful Viva Glam lipstick have gone to the Fund, which recently surpassed the $100 million mark. In 1997, Frank Angelo died suddenly, and in 1998, M•A•C was sold to Estée Lauder. Since leaving M•A•C, Frank Toskan has worked with his sister Julie in establishing the Toskan Casale Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting and strengthening community-based social programs and organizations. JOAN ANDERSON A committed social justice activist and tireless leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Joan Anderson became involved in the gay rights struggle in support of friends in the 1970’s. Beginning with the Canadian Gay Archives (now the Lesbian & Gay Archives) and continuing with the Body Politic Free the Press Fund, Anderson was a long-time volunteer with the AIDS Committee of Toronto, eventually becoming Chair. She helped found the Ontario AIDS Network and the Canadian AIDS Society, chairing the latter form 1989 to 1993. Anderson advocated for the first National AIDS Strategy, and helped to align the Canadian AIDS Society lobbying strategy with AIDS ACTION NOW! demonstrations. She was a delegate to the meeting at which the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations was founded. Joan also played a role in the development of Casey House as one of ACT’s members on the Steering Committee, and served on the Real Estate and Program Committees, working alongside June Callwood and Jim Shea. In 1994, Joan became Director of Education and Advocacy at ACT, and served for a time as Interim Executive Director. Since 1999, Joan has worked as a consultant, including for the AIDS 2006 Toronto Local Host Committee. She is currently Vice Chair of the 519 Community Centre. Return to The Casey Awards main page |