Yes We Will! The Give a Day Campaign begins!
The campaign for Give a Day kicked off on Oct 29th, with a Harambee – a party with a purpose - at the Drake Hotel. Hosted by CBC’s Maureen Brosnahan, speakers and musicians shared their hope, stories and solutions for the AIDS pandemic. Dr. Jane Philpott, founder of Give a Day, asked people to use the 33 days to share ideas and resources and commit to giving a day’s pay on World AIDS Day – December 1st.
1 Comment »
Come to the Give a Day Harambee – a party with a purpose!
If you’re in the Toronto area, please join us for the Give a Day Harambee – a party with a purpose – to kick-off the 2008 Give a Day campaign.It’s at the Drake Hotel, October 29 at 6 pm.
Tickets available through: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/178881038
The October 29 kick-off is exactly 33 days before World AIDS Day. And you know there are 33 million people infected with HIV in the world. So we’ll have 33 days to inspire 33 million Canadians to be part of the solution to HIV in the world. See you at the Harambee!
Comment now »
<a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/h3aihhp78u” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>
Published by: GiveADay on October 10th, 2008 | Filed under Workplace CampaignsComment now »
St. Mike’s GAD Campaign
Aisha Lofters-Scales talks about the Give a Day Campaign at St. Mike’s.
Why has GAD been important to your group of doctors?
“Many of the physicians at St. Mike’s have done a lot of work in Sub-Saharan Africa, and seen firsthand the devastating effects that AIDS has had. The GAD has been an easy but effective way for all of us to do what we can to help.”
What has the experience of GAD been like for you personally?
“GAD has been amazing for me! I’ve gotten to meet fabulous and inspirational people like Stephen Lewis and Jane Philpott, and to feel like I’m a part of something that’s really making a difference.”
What would you say to inspire someone else to start a GAD campaign with colleagues?
“Giving one day’s pay is such a relatively minor thing for us to do, but has such a powerful effect when all those dollars are added together. How can we not participate?”
Comment now »
Peterborough Health Centre raises almost $100,000 in the last five years!
Nick van der Kamp, from the Peterborough Regional Health Centre writes: “In Peterborough, we were inspired by the efforts of several prominent Canadians to try and make a small contribution to the HIV pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa . We were inspired by the passion and commitment of Stephen Lewis; by the vision and resolve of Dr. James Orbinski and by the very human face that reporter and author Stephanie Nolen has been able to give to this crisis. The Give A Day to World AIDS campaign has been a success with the physicians in our community raising almost $100,000 over the last 5 years.”
Published by: GiveADay on October 8th, 2008 | Filed under Workplace CampaignsComment now »
GAD Breakfast Meeting with the Legal Community
In September, a special breakfast meeting with Stephen Lewis, the former United Nations Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa and Winstone Zulu, a prominent AIDS activist from Zambia was held, to explore issues relating to the global AIDS pandemic and as well as the tremendous efforts of the Canadian legal community to play a role in bringing hope to millions.
From left to right: The Honourable R. Roy McMurtry, O.Ont, QC; Sergio Karas, Karas and Associates; Maryellen Symons, Lawyer; Winstone Zulu, AIDS Activist; Stephen Lewis, Stephen Lewis Foundation
Published by: GiveADay on October 8th, 2008 | Filed under GAD Events, Workplace CampaignsComment now »
Notes from South Africa…
Jackie Taitz, Associate with Torys LLP, has offered to contribute to the Give a Day blog, from her current location in South Africa. Throughout the 2008 campaign, we’ll hear more from Jackie! Oct 2008, Jackie writes:
“We have all heard the staggering statistics 33 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2007; 1.5 million dying in 2007 alone. 11.6 million children in Africa have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic. I had certainly heard the statistics and knew the numbers were catastrophic. But until seeing the reality with my own eyes, it was impossible to truly comprehend the effect AIDS is having on the African continent. Until I saw the face of a young mother, baby at her side, waiting patiently for hours to see a doctor, until I experienced the grief of a 14 year old girl, who I knew to be one of millions, that lost her mother to the virus, I could not grasp the reality of the devastation.
I have been living and working in South Africa, a country with 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, since the beginning of 2008, having taken a leave of absence from my job as a corporate lawyer on Bay Street to volunteer as a teacher. Though not directly working with HIV/AIDS, during my time here I have regularly been confronted by the overwhelming impact of the disease.
For example, as a result of my participation in the 2006 and 2007 Give a Day to World AIDS campaigns, I had the opportunity to visit some of the projects the campaign funds. In August I had the privilege of spending a day with the wonderful staff of Dignitas International in Malawi and seeing the incredible work they are doing in the face of overwhelming challenges. What struck me most on that day was the scale of the epidemic. Hundreds and hundreds of men and women, most in their 30s and 40s, sat waiting patiently for their turn at the clinic. Some were there to receive treatment, others to receive counselling and some were there to find out their status. As I looked around at the faces of those waiting, it struck me that they represented an entire generation of that countrys population. An entire generation of its workers. An entire generation of its parents. If we do not step up and support organizations like Dignitas International, organizations that are out in the field dispensing life saving ARV medications and meeting with patients to ensure they follow the regiments and receive necessary counselling, a whole generation will be lost. And a whole generation of children will grow up without parents.
I am not exaggerating when I say a whole generation the faces I saw at the clinic that day were indeed representative of an entire generation. It has become almost cliché to say that the AIDS epidemic is the greatest challenge facing us today. But as I stood in that clinic, the immediacy of it struck me to the core. Our generation will indeed be judged by our response to this epidemic. By our willingness to stand up and join the fight against a disease that is killing millions, destroying the economic viability of so many already financially challenged countries and above all murdering the parents of countless young children who are left to fend for themselves and their siblings without the benefit of the many social safety nets we so readily enjoy in Canada. Think about it for a minute. Think about the challenges a young 12 year old girl would face if she lost her mother who was her sole caregiver if she were living in Thornhill or Forest Hill or Oakville. Now think about the challenges that same young girl would face if she were living in Lilongwe or Balantyne or Mangochi. These are not imaginary, fictional children. These are real living and breathing young people children growing up in love with all the hopes and dreams any child would have. Children who helplessly sit by and watch their mothers die a long and painful death and who are then left to pick up the pieces of their lives, to try and find the way forward. This is the reality of millions of children across the continent. We can make a difference. We must at least try.”
Published by: GiveADay on October 8th, 2008 | Filed under HIV/AIDS in AfricaComment now »
Growing the Give a Day Campaign in Durham Region
Steve Russell, MD, CCFP from Lakeridge Health Port Perry writes:
“I started co-coordinating GAD in Durham Region – (Port Perry, Oshawa , Whitby , Bowmanville hospitals) after returning from a trip to Malawi . There I had met Dr. Kevin Bezanson of Dignitas, and heard the incredible stories of the Lazarus effect of ARV’s in his AIDS patients. I also heard about the monumental amount of work he and his sparse team had done in a short span of time.
At the time I wondered, How can I be a part of this? It was such a compelling story, the faces of dying patients still haunting me after I returned to Canada . I knew I couldn’t commit to a long work term in Africa , nor did I have the training. But I was connected to Dr. Jane Philpott and her fledgling group in Markham , and it became possible for me to do something concrete by joining Give a Day.
The first year I just showed a power point presentation from my trip, coupled with some info from GAD. The next year I showed the Dignitas film “The Bicycle” and had a Dignitas physician come and speak to the medical staff. Last year we had Jane Philpott join us for medical rounds to share her first-hand stories from Africa . It sure caught the attention of some of my local colleagues.
From what I’ve seen, the personal contact of one friend sharing with another is what makes the difference. Stories, anecdotes, photographs seem to touch certain people – certainly not all. And then inviting them to be part of the solution – a positive, tangible, common sense way to make a difference in fighting the pandemic.”
Published by: GiveADay on October 7th, 2008 | Filed under Workplace Campaigns
Comment now »
Media Information for Give a Day
Click on each file to open for Information about Give a Day:
Press Releases
Give a Day Harambee release-2009
Published by: GiveADay on October 6th, 2008 | Filed under Give a Day 2009, MediaComment now »
