OTTAWA, June 13, 2015 – The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) announced the 2015 recipients of its Leadership Award (Individual Category) during the opening dinner ceremony of the 2015 PLWHIV/AIDS Forum and CAS Annual Meeting on June 13, 2015.
Marcie Summers and Elisse Zack were recognized for their invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment to the HIV/AIDS movement.
Marcie Summers has been and continues to be a true leader in the Canadian HIV community. As Executive Director of Positive Women’s Network her leadership has placed this organization in a unique position not only in British Columbia but across the nation.
Marcie became involved with AIDS activism in the early days of Vancouver’s epidemic, serving as a volunteer speaker and educator for AIDS Vancouver beginning in 1986. She was also was one of the founders of the Blueprint for Action on Women and HIV/AIDS – a national coalition to better address the needs of HIV positive women in Canada.
“Marcie is a leader, strategist, coalition builder, and eloquent spokesperson who has pushed tirelessly for greater understanding of women’s issues in general and HIV issues in particular,” said Monique Doolittle-Romas, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS).
The second CAS Leadership Award winner – Elisse Zack – is being honoured posthumously.
Elisse Zack worked in the HIV sector for nearly two decades – most recently as founding member and Executive Director of CWGHR (Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation) based in Toronto.
Over the last 15 years, she built CWGHR from an idea into a vibrant national organization. It remains one of the few organizations of its kind in the world that actively brings together the research, training, care and advocacy work of the HIV sector and those working in other fields of disability.
“I’m very proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of Elisse Zack as a true leader of our community,” says Monique Doolittle-Romas, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS). “We are celebrating her courage and her will to change the world for the better.”
About the Canadian AIDS Society
Incorporated since 1986, the Canadian AIDS Society is a national coalition of communitybased organizations across Canada. CAS is dedicated to strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS across all sectors of society, and to enriching the lives of people and communities living with HIV/AIDS.