Hello! 

My name is Fenner Gemmill, and this will be my third year participating in the ride! I've met so many wonderful people, who I cannot wait to spend another week with again this year.

I'm currently in my first year at Dalhousie University in Halifax, working on a double major in marine biology and sustainability, so needless to say, it has been a hectic year, and summer can't come soon enough! 

The Friends for Life bike rally is always something I look forward to. I've enjoyed that it's becoming a tradition. There's nothing like dragging my mom (and now my aunt Liz!!) for a whole week of biking. My thrill at supporting such a community care-oriented organization hasn't diminished a bit since last summer.

In fact, I feel like right now, more than ever, community care and access to public health facilities are absolutely needed. Both PWA and I would love and appreciate your support greatly. 

So thank you for getting involved.

Fenner’s PWA Support Page

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation provides practical, therapeutic, and emotional support to people living with HIV.

Mission: We engage people living with HIV/AIDS in enhancing their health and well-being through practical and therapeutic support services and broader social change, and we inspire them to live into their dreams and discoveries.
 
Vision: We live in affirming, sustaining communities where we find inspiration and support for our dreams, health, well-being and meaningful contributions.
 
Philosophy: People living with HIV/AIDS play a crucial role in the governance and operation of the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation, but, most important, are its heart and soul. Although the Foundation seeks supportive partnerships in fulfilling our mission, our response to HIV/AIDS is, more than anything else, inspired by the voices and experience of people living with HIV/AIDS.
 
Founded in 1987, the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA) is a leading community-based charity dedicated to supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. We aim to help those we serve enhance their health and well-being through practical and therapeutic support services and broader social change, inspiring them to live their dreams.

We are a community-based non-profit registered charitable organization.
 
After the discovery of the HIV virus in 1983, AIDS Service Organizations formed to address the major trends of the disease: to help prevent the spread of HIV and to care for those dying from AIDS-related illnesses.

In 1986, in response to this emerging trend and frustrated by the public’s focus on AIDS prevention and lack of services for people already infected, four gay men living with HIV/AIDS began meeting to discuss ways for people living with HIV to stay healthy and live with dignity. They formed a coalition with a mandate to provide practical, direct-support services to people living with HIV/AIDS using a peer-to-peer model.
 
The first PWA office was housed in the apartment of one of the founders at 44 Huntley Street followed by a brief stay in Casey House until funding could be secured for the location on Yonge Street. Since then, PWA has had numerous homes where the foundation has consistently provided our essential programming:
 
Practical Supports:

-              Essentials Market: This is PWA’s food bank which provides staple food items, Culturally appropriate foods, fresh produce, pet food, home start-up items, and special needs supplies such as baby items.
-              Food For Life: This community program is a weekly frozen meal delivery program for PHAs returning home from the hospital, experiencing severe mobility, acute medical issues, or are receiving palliative care.
-              POZ Community Kitchen: This program provides daily, culturally specific, nutritious meals to community members, ensuring that no one goes hungry. The kitchen is fully staffed by volunteers living with HIV/AIDS who gain employment skills and combat isolation through shared meals.
-              Vitamin Supplements: We provide free community donated multi-vitamins through our Front desk.
 
Financial Assistance:
-              Health and Wellness Fund: The Health and Wellness Fund helps people living with HIV/AIDS manage some of the financial burdens they face when improving and maintaining their health and wellness. PWA reimburses 50% of eligible expenses until a member reaches a maximum of $300.
-              Positive Children’s Fund: The Positive Children’s Fund helps HIV+ children, and their families manage some of the financial burdens they face with daily living, including such items as outgrown clothes, school activities, diapers and formula.
-              Positive Seniors’ Fund: The Positive Senior’s Fund helps HIV+ seniors manage some of the financial burdens they face when they receive OAS (Old Age Security), including a reduced monthly income and reduced insurance coverage.
 
Health and Therapeutic Care:
-              Health & Therapeutic Care services at PWA support the holistic health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. These Programs provide free, on-site holistic health care to complement conventional medical care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs). Services include;

o             Acupuncture

o             Massage therapy

o             Art therapy

o             Dental hygiene

o             Hearing test/ hearing aids

o             Nada ear clinic 

o             Eye clinic

o             Denture clinic

o             Hair styling and barbering
 
Dreaming and Engagement:

-              POZ Prevention: The Program utilizes staff and peer educators to provide peer consultations, service provider training, and social group discussions around sexual health and Poz prevention.
-              Health Champion Peer Educators: The program recruits, trains and supports PHAs as peer medical educators who train medical and healthcare practitioner students about the experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS and about how to engage PHAs in their own healthcare in a supportive, nonjudgement and empowering way devoid of stigma and discrimination.
-              Positive Women Empowerment and Resilience (POWER) Peer Support Program: The Peer Support program is a collaborative approach to providing diverse, innovative and practical support services for women (trans, cis and femme) living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto. The Peer Support Program at PWA builds on the value, impact, and benefit experienced by women living with HIV  when they can receive support from other HIV-positive women and those HIV-positive women providing support. POWER Project Peers speak several languages and will support and assist other women in navigating the social service system as follows;

o             Accompaniment to medical and other appointments

o             Immigration support

o             Housing support

o             Interpretation/Translation

o             Service referrals

o             Outreach/Facilitation

o             Social and emotional support
 
Fueled by a vision to create a thriving hub where people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS can access the full spectrum of services in one safe, vibrant space, PWA moved to 163 Queen St. E., Toronto in 2023 with the transformational support of a generous donor and officially launched the Community Health Justice Hub.
 
Created by and for people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS, the Hub is a one-stop shop where community members can access food, healthcare and essential services, nurture their creativity and find healing in safety and belonging.

The Community Health Justice Hub is home to a growing number of AIDS Services Organizations (ASOs) aligned with the mission of PWA. Together, we are a thriving community of support offering a wide range of services to people impacted by HIV/AIDS under one roof.
 
It’s also a deeply innovative model for social enterprise and economic empowerment — a place where community service organizations and individuals alike can pursue growth, entrepreneurship, skill building and income generation.
 
At the Community Health Justice Hub, we’re not just helping people impacted by HIV/AIDS. We’re building community power, changing lives and creating thriving futures. We are currently recruiting new ASOs to join us at the Hub to provide a wider range of interconnected services for people living with HIV/AIDS. We are continually expanding our current programming and piloting new programs to further support our community, such as our burgeoning Psychotherapy program.

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

1279515062

148788709

1524399316

control

167058366

1873740264

188270313

2052641908

2088874155

We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.

Choose a donation for Every.org

2140519340

2183212369

2269066361

2310049938

2477281247

2551237796

2880853031

2883383521

2899462032

316638097

3323783059

3381177838

338811242

3705164611

3842241318

3934974605

4167807122

506613571

1287028958

1858760411

2104603717

225261647

2407957277

2729980760

2939442496

3440869557

4143568784

434649596

671754822

87081813

99361

1014384873

1112422858

153399038

2028390811

220342792

2266630408

2519810400

2539558839

2826465835

2843798242

2898624300

3259439560

339774024

3642494300

3902459442

4250940449

472232120

585491400

641510716

91682487

Fenner’s PWA Support Page

Donors

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation