Monthly Archives: December 2014

Thank you for making 2014 such a great year for ACAS!!! On behalf of the board, staff, volunteers, service users and allies of ACAS, we would like to thank you for making 2014 such a wonderful year for ACAS. Asian Community AIDS Services (ACSAS) was formed twenty years ago on December 1, 1994, when Gay Asians Toronto’s Gay Asian AIDS Project, Southeast Asian Service Centre’s Vietnamese AIDS Project, and the Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee’s AIDS Alert Project amalgamated to support East and Southeast Asians living with and affected by HIV. Celebrating our 20th year in existence, ACAS continues to be a leader in providing innovative, community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate programming and services to the East and Southeast Asian HIV and LGBTQ communities in the Greater Toronto Area. This past year, we have continued to make history improving the lives of East and Southeast Asians, especially those from the HIV, LGBTQ, migrant workers communities. A few of our highlights include pioneering #PinkDotTO, the first ever Chinatown Pride March in Asian Heritage Month with our long-time community partner Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO); presenting at various panels at the World Pride Human Rights Conference and showing our fun and sexy Asian Pride at the World Pride 2014 Parade; celebrating our 20th Anniversary at the CelebrAsian Fundraising Gala and presenting the ACAS 20th Anniversary Patrick Truong Award and Community Builder Award to Derek Yee and Dr. Alan Li; and having raised over $24,800 at the 2014 ACAS ScotiaRun Charity Challenge. We thank you for all your support and for being part of our community! See you in 2015   ACAS Holiday Volunteer and ScotiaRun Fundraiser Appreciation Party Although it took place on the same day as the first snow storm of the year, our ACAS Holiday Volunteer Appreciation Party [...]

World AIDS Day 2014 : Commemorating Lives Lost to the HIV epidemic and Celebrating ACAS’ 20th Anniversary This year’s World AIDS Day marks a very special day for ACAS as marks the official start of our 20th anniversary:    On December 1, 1994, Asian Community AIDS Services (ACSAS) was formed when Gay Asians Toronto’s Gay Asian AIDS Project, Southeast Asian Service Centre’s Vietnamese AIDS Project, and the Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee’s AIDS Alert Project amalgamated as a coalition agency to support East and Southeast Asians living with and affected by HIV. Celebrating our 20th year in existence, ACAS continues to be a leader in providing innovative, community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate programming and services to the East and Southeast Asian HIV and LGBTQ communities in the Greater Toronto Area. As an effort to celecbrate ACAS’ 20 years of community activism, we have asked service users, allies and supporters to let us know what ACAS means to them. These feature will be posted bi-monthly throughout the year. As the first feature, we have a special piece by Derek Yee, Recipient of the ACAS 20th Anniversary Patrick Truong Award: I feel very privileged to have been honoured this year, 2014, with the Patrick Truong Award for making a significant contribution in the area of HIV / AIDS and social justice issues. As an Asian Canadian who has faced stigma and discrimination growing up with HIV/AIDS in Canada, I want to recognize that we as a community now have the opportunity to better support the changing faces of HIV/AIDS.  Through ACAS, I have grow a as an individual with my community, and have moved from an HIV/AIDS victim to become a community champion by learning resiliency. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my involvement with ACAS as a service user and volunteer. Through my [...]

Today is Dec 1, 2014 - World AIDS Day Let us take a moment to commemorate this special day, remember those whose lives have been lost to HIV/AIDS, and come together to close the gap on this epidemic. Together, we can end AIDS Twenty years ago today, on December 1, 1994, Asian Community AIDS Services (ACSAS) was formed when Gay Asians Toronto’s Gay Asian AIDS Project, Southeast Asian Service Centre’s Vietnamese AIDS Project, and the Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee’s AIDS Alert Project amalgamated as a coalition agency to support East and Southeast Asians living with and affected by HIV. Celebrating our 20th year in existence, ACAS continues to be a leader in providing innovative, community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate programming and services to the East and Southeast Asian HIV and LGBTQ communities in the Greater Toronto Area. In commemoration of World AIDS Day and the official start of ACAS' 20th Anniversary, we have asked service users, allies and supporters to let us know what ACAS means to them. These feature will be posted bi-monthly throughout the year. As the first feature, we have a special piece by Derek Yee, Recipient of the ACAS 20th Anniversary Patrick Truong Award :