ABOUT THE AIDS COMMITTEE OF TORONTO (ACT)

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) delivers responsive, effective and valued community based HIV support services and education, prevention, outreach and fundraising programs that promote health, well-being, worth and right of individuals and communities living with, affected by and at risk for HIV/AIDS, and increase awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Founded in 1983, ACT provides emotional and practical support services to men, women and youth living with HIV/AIDS, and offers support to their family, friends and partners. ACT works with gay and bisexual men, Portuguese-speaking communities, youth, and women at increased risk for HIV infection to develop and deliver HIV/AIDS information, education and outreach programs. Some of our programs and services include:

  • Counseling and support groups
  • Practical assistance such as food programs, moves and furniture donations
  • Canada’s largest circulating library of HIV/AIDS–related material
  • Outreach and HIV prevention programs
  • Employment counseling
  • Community–based research
With increased demand for services and shrinking government funding, ACT depends more than ever on fundraising efforts to provide financial support for the critical services the agency provides to the community.

AIDS Walk for Life Toronto generates over 15% of ACT’s annual revenues. Clearly, it is more important than ever that we keep walking.

For more information, visit the ACT website at http://www.actoronto.org

HIV/AIDS FACTS

HIV/AIDS is just as much of a threat as it has ever been. It is a reality that the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) addresses daily.

The facts speak for themselves:

  • An estimated 60, 000 people in Canada are living with HIV/AIDS. Researches project that 30% of them do not know they are HIV–positive.
  • 66% of HIV–positive people in Ontario live in Toronto, and Toronto has one of the highest HIV infection rates in Canada.
  • In Toronto, across Canada, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men continue to form the largest number of new HIV infections.
  • HIV infections among women and African and Caribbean communities have risen steadily over the past six years in Toronto.
  • HIV drug treatments don’t work for everyone.

There is no cure or vaccine. Prevention is still the ONLY defense against HIV transmission.