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Who we are The Bill 7 Award is directed by a Board of Trustees whose members are appointed by two organizations; Supporting Our Youth at the Sherbourne Health Centre, and the CommunityOne Foundation (formerly, the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal).
Supporting Our Youth (SOY – www.soytoronto.org) is a unique dynamic community development program that has been creating opportunities for lgbtt youth and adults in Toronto to build an inclusive, welcoming community together for nearly 7 years. SOY creates healthy arts, cultural and recreational spaces for young people; supports youth in building skills and developing capacities; and increases youth access to adult mentoring and support. SOY was originally established in 1998, with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Central Toronto Youth Services. SOY’s programs have continued to expand and evolve over the years, as a result of the incredible support SOY has received from the hundreds of individuals who have volunteered thousands of hours of time and expertise, and the significant financial support it has received from foundations and project funders, and the generosity of community members, groups and businesses. In September 2004, SOY became a program of the
Sherbourne Health Centre, a community-based health
centre with a mandate to provide services to
marginalized groups in south east Toronto, including
lgbtt people, newcomers and immigrants, and homeless
people. A volunteer Community Advisory Committee
continues to provide consultation and support to SOY.
The CommunityOne Foundation (formerly The Lesbian
and Gay Community Appeal Foundation (LGCA –
www.lgca.ca)) was founded in 1980 by a group of
people who believed that the community would support the
advancement of lesbian and gay projects, artists and
organizations within Toronto. Individual artists,
writers and organizations were often rebuffed when they
attempted to get funding for lesbian and gay projects
from traditional sources. Consequently, many were
spending most of their time fundraising and were unable
to achieve their goals. While no organization is allowed
to be totally dependent on the CommunityOne Foundation
for operational costs, the project-specific funding
available from the Foundation strengthens existing and
future lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
organizations and our cultural and artistic growth. It
has always been the mandate of the Foundation to fund
projects which equally benefit the lesbian and gay male
communities. The Foundation has also expanded its
mission to include support for bisexual,
transgendered/transsexual and two-spirited (gay
aboriginal) communities. |
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