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LOOK Photovoice Project now online! As our social media theme this month is HIV Awareness, we have now provided the work from our Photovoice Project online, available for everyone to see! The Photovoice Project empowered a group of East and Southeast Asian PHAs (Persons Living with HIV/AIDS) in Toronto with workshops and training over the course of several months in 2016 to explore their experiences through photos; To capture their truths and realities of life, hope and living with HIV. We also partnered with Taiwan's Lourdes Association to bring you this joint exhibit. Please have a look at the online gallery for the LOOK Photovoice Exhibition!

30 Runners/Walkers Help Make the ACAS ScotiaRun 2016 the Most Successful One Yet! On behalf of the Board and staff at ACAS, we would like to thank our runners/walkers for their dedication, energy, and commitment, and the generosity of our donors for making this year’s charity fundraising challenge the most successful and best one yet—raising a whopping $24,226.00!! For our sixth year taking part at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5k, we had a contingent of 30 registered runners/walkers and 7 teams competing for the top team prize. While all of our teams raised more than $1,000 each, our top grossing team is once again Team CelebrAsian. Under Dr. Alan Li’s leadership, Team CelebrAsian has raised a whopping $11.615! Special shout-outs to our fastest runner Anthony Ku Ong for completing the 5k under under 23 minutes, and our half-marathoner and past ACAS Executive Director, Keith Wong! While our initial goal of $20,000 has been reached, the online donations will be live until Friday, October 28, 2016, at 5pm. This means you can still seek out sponsors and help us raise even a bigger amount.  You can make a one-time online donation to ACAS here: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?RegistrationID=3322773 As ACAS has been negatively impacted by recent decisions on funding reallocations by Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), every bit of your support would help. Thank you very much in advance for your continual support to ACAS.   ACAS September Month in Review Fun, Food, and a Good Cause at the Second Annual Fabulous Feast!   Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp, and Richard Utama hosted an authentic Thai dinner as part of our efforts to to raise funds for 2016 ACAS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge on September 24, 2016. Over 25 guests attended this very special and intimate event, and savored many wonderful [...]

Dear Friends, Allies, Supporters and Donors of Asian Community AIDS Services: With just under 10 days away from the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k run on October 16, 2016, ACAS has raised $11,180 as of Thursday, October 6, 2016! That means we have reached 55% of our $20,000 goal! Thanks to all our donors, supporters, and our 23 runners and walkers for the amazing fundraising efforts, andplease continue to support us in the coming days so we can add the $9,000 we need! In this update, you will see a very special video from the Shimmerellas; Our ACAS Trans Women’s Program Team. Please watch below and find out why the Shimmerellsas are so shimmery and deserve your support! With 7 amazing teams competing against each other for the top fundraising team title, below is an update of how much each team has raised so far. Please click on the following team links to donate to the team(s) of your choice, or if you would like to sponsor the team captains, you can click on their names to their personal fundraising pages: Team CelebrAsian (Captain:Alan Li) – Amount Raised: $6,505  https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=719218 Team Love ACAS! – General ACAS Team (Captain:Christian Hui) – Amount Raised: $1265https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=721700 Team ACAS SuperMen – Men’s Program S.L.A.M.! (Captain:Ryan Tran) – Amount Raised: $300https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=721744 Team ACASwonderWomen – Women’s Program (Captain:Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp) – Amount Raised $1490  https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=721997 Team Remembrance of Heroes – Support Program (Captain:Andrew Miao) – Amount Raised $1200  https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=721986 Team Shimmerellas – Transwomen’s Program (Captain: Mina) – Amount Raised $0https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=723939 Team Titans – Queer Asian Youth Program (Captain Gabriel Bacani) – Amount Raised $135 https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=724248 Please join us as a runner/walker to help us raise funds to benefit the East and Southeast Asians of the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV! To find out [...]

Run with ACAS at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) Charity Challenge 2016 and help raise $20,000 for East and Southeast Asians living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ Community!   Dear runners, walkers, donors and ACAS supporters, Are you ready to run for a great cause and raise money for Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) to support East and Southeast Asians living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ community in Toronto? Join us as a runner or walker on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at this year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k Run/Walk (STWM) Charity Challenge! This is ACAS’ 6th year at the STWM Charity Challenge, and our fundraising goal is $20,000. We invite each and everyone of you to take part of the challenge either as a runner, walker, fundraiser, donor or supporter! As an annual major fundraiser event for the agency, all funds raised at the race will directly support our East and Southeast Asian service users who are living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ communities, our Queer Asian Youth program, our new Transwomen Program, as well as help support the work of the Ontario Positive Asians Network, a network for HIV+ Asians in Ontario. In the past five years, ACAS has met or exceeded its fundraising goal. From raising $15,000 in the 2000 to over $24,000 in 2015, we have seen an increase of funds raised over the years. Through engaging our stakeholders, service users, volunteers and donors to support our participation at the SWTM Charity Challenge, we have built a stronger community for East and Southeast Asians infected and affected by HIV in the Greater Toronto Area. Last year, we had a total of 32 runners and seven teams of walkers and runner competing for the top spot. Together with the generous [...]

Run with ACAS at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) Charity Challenge 2016 and help raise $20,000 for East and Southeast Asians living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ Community! Dear runners, walkers, donors and ACAS supporters, Are you ready to run for a great cause and raise money for Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) to support East and Southeast Asians living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ community in Toronto? Join us as a runner or walker on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at this year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k Run/Walk (STWM) Charity Challenge! This is ACAS’ 6th year at the STWM Charity Challenge, and our fundraising goal is $20,000. We invite each and everyone of you to take part of the challenge either as a runner, walker, fundraiser, donor or supporter! As an annual major fundraiser event for the agency, all funds raised at the race will directly support our East and Southeast Asian service users who are living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ communities, our Queer Asian Youth program, our new Transwomen Program, as well as help support the work of the Ontario Positive Asians Network, a network for HIV+ Asians in Ontario. In the past five years, ACAS has met or exceeded its fundraising goal. From raising $15,000 in the 2000 to over $24,000 in 2015, we have seen an increase of funds raised over the years. Through engaging our stakeholders, service users, volunteers and donors to support our participation at the SWTM Charity Challenge, we have built a stronger community for East and Southeast Asians infected and affected by HIV in the Greater Toronto Area. Last year, we had a total of 32 runners and seven teams of walkers and runner competing for the top spot. Together with the [...]

July certainly was the month to remember, and it is not only because of the heatwave. In case if you missed Pride 2016, here is a re-cap of the amazing moments the ACAS family came together to celebrate diversity, cultural pride and members of all gender identities holding various sexual expressions we can call as Proud Asians!   Miss ACAS 2016 Isabel Mendoza leads the ultimate entourage of ACAS Marchers at Pride 2016!!!   Thank you to all those who came out to celebrate Pride Month 2016 with us and marched with ACAS at the Trans March, Dyke March and Pride Parade 2016! Take a look at these amazing photos which have captured the special sentiments and spirit shared by all our marchers, supporters, volunteers and staff this year! A special gratitude goes to Miss ACAS 2016 Isabel Mendoza for leading our Pride March followed by all the beautiful and amazing Filipina Queens! You can check out all the amazing photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1061386513940343.1073741886.337056206373381&type=1&l=3cca30a980    Hosting A Much-Needed Community Dialgoue Space #post-Pride 2016…   ACAS hosted a session Let’s Talk About What Happened at Pride on July 13, 2016.  This event reached its capacity, reflecting the overwhelming community interest and the much-needed space for Asians to have a culturally-safe space where they can discuss the events that took place at Pride. As an agency that was founded to serve a culturally and racially minoritized group within the dominant society, ACAS is committed to serving our community in culturally and linguistically appropriate manners and to stand in solidarity with other movements that combat social injustices   Story of Asian Poz Gay Man on OnMyPlanet.CA Christian is a gay Asian man working in the HIV/AIDS sector in Toronto. He is currently the Community Engagement Co-ordinator at Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) and the Ontario [...]

TORONTO, ON — Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) and Queer Asian Youth (QAY) are inviting you to COME MARCH with US at this year’s Pride 2016 Festival! With a host of activities planned for Pride Month in June, ACAS is mixing community building, activism, and celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQQI2S to showcase Asian Pride at its best! Our theme, COME MARCH with US is a play on words off this year’s Pride Toronto theme: You Can Sit with Us. With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marching at this year’s Pride Parade and Toronto Police Chief Saunders making a public apology of the Toronto Bathhouse Raids 30 years ago, this year’s Pride in Toronto is promised to be an especially special one post-Orlando Shooting. “Our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families & friends of victims of violence at the Pulse bar in Orlando, Florida,” says ACAS Execuitive Director Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp. “We at ACAS are in solitary with the LGBT communities all around the world in an effort to bringing an end to homophobia and the senseless use of violence towards innocent and vulnerable people.” With two pre-Pride Events already completed, the ACAS Pride Celebration during Pride Weekend is promised to be a festive one. ACAS first launched an anthology “Telling Our Own Stories” written by 11 queer Asian youth who have been mentored by acclaimed LGBTQ Asian writers Carrianne Leung, Rain Chan, and Kym Elisse Nacita at the historic Glad Day Bookshop on June 15, 2016. The book launch took place with award-winning writer Wayson Choy and Councilor Kristyn Wong-Tam with queer Asian youth reading their work informed by their own lived experiences, ranging from realization of one’s queer identity, to struggling through turmoil as queer Asian youth as they relate with the outside world, and ultimately finding hope and healing. [...]

You have last heard from us with our ACAS CelebrAsian Banquet Update in early May. May and June have truly an extremely busy time at ACAS with many amazing events taking place: Celebrating Asian Heritage Month; #PinkDotTO2016; the 2nd Annual OPA+ Gathering 2016; Apologies that the update came a bit later than usual, but we hope you will enjoy the updates nonetheless!   Celebrating Asian Heritage Month with the Toronto Police Services Chinese Consultative Committee ACAS would like to thank the Toronto Police Divison 42 Chinese Consultative Committee for hosting an amazing and festive Asian Heritage Month Celebration at Canadian Immigrant and Cultural Service (CISC) on May 7. The event included many amazing cultural performances including a lion dance, acrobatic performances and many cultural dances and songs performed by many Chinese community performance groups. The Toronto Police   ACAS celebrates IDAHOT with Mayor John Tory! ACAS was invited to the breakfast with Mayor John Tory on May 17, 2016 to honour the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDHOT). Our board members joined the table and had a chat with city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, the mayor, and other notable figures in the community like Rev. Brent Hawkes, senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto who performed the first same-sex wedding ceremony in Canada. Along with the new bill that gives transgender Canadians equal rights, today is a great step forward!   PinkDotTO2016! About 100 members of the Asian LGBTQ community along with supporters and allies wore pink and showed their pride that there is love across generations for queer Asians marching through Chinatown on Saturday, May 21, at a highly successful ‪#‎PinkDotTO2016: Chinatown Pride March! We would like to thank Kristyn Wong-Tam for City Councillor, Ward 27 (Toronto Centre - Rosedale) for speaking at the event, along with Alvis Choi and [...]