Remembering June Callwood: A Candlelit Procession
to Honour Her Social Activism
By Liz Chamberlain, Executive Director, Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers
On April 14th, Canada lost one of its greatest social activists. June Callwood was “Canada’s conscience”. She was a founder or director of more than 50 organizations and lent her assistance to over a hundred causes in her 40 years of activism. As a member of Canada’s non-profit community, as you read this tribute, you are undoubtedly someone who either worked with June Callwood or you are familiar with an organization with which she served. She was one of Canada’s greatest treasures.
In the memory of renowned social activist and journalist June Callwood, two of the agencies she founded, Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers and Casey House Hospice have together organized a candlelit memorial procession, to occur at dusk on Tuesday, April 17th, 2007. The remembrance and procession will begin at 7:45 p.m. in front of Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers in Toronto, at 205 Parliament Street and will end at Casey House Hospice with a silence remembrance after which you may sign a condolence book at Casey House or online at caseyhouse.com. We invite all those who knew and loved June Callwood to walk with us in her memory.
We thank everyone who wanted to send flowers to June’s family or Jessie’s Centre but in lieu of flowers it is June’s wish that donations be given to the June Callwood Fund at Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers, by donating to the address below or making a donation online at www.jessiescentre.org using Canada Helps.
June’s longest standing commitments were to child poverty, the rights of women, teens and children, civil liberties, journalistic excellence and people living with AIDS. Her activism began when she saw teens living on the street in Toronto and founded Digger House, her first organization. Digger House did not survive, but she went on to found Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers in 1981, one of the world’s first comprehensive centres for pregnant and parenting teens and their families, remaining active with Jessie’s Centre for the rest of her life.
Her involvement with her other causes was equally impressive, from her work for women’s rights, the Campaign Against Child Poverty, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Casey House Hospice for people living with AIDS. She founded Casey House at a time when ignorance and fear surrounding AIDS was still prevalent and her work with Casey House and other AIDS organizations was ground-breaking.
In honour of her activism, Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers approached Casey House Hospice to organize a candlelit procession in memory of June, linking up with a 3-day open house at Casey House in June’s memory. As two of her longest standing commitments and two organizations who share the same neighbourhoods in Toronto, we have organized this tribute on behalf of all of June’s causes. If we could encompass you all in one continuous procession we would, but distances being what they are we hope you will join us on Tuesday April 17th and represent each of the agencies and causes that June loved most. Help us give a lasting tribute to a woman who devoted her life to social activism.
The memorial procession will begin at Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers at 205 Parliament Street (south of Shuter St.) at 7:45 p.m. From there, the procession will move north to Casey House Hospice at 9 Huntley St. (at Isabella), where the memorial will end with a silent remembrance, after which the public may enter Casey House to sign the Condolence Book for June Callwood.
The route was chosen as an especially fitting tribute to June Callwood’s vision. Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers, as an organization serving teen parents and their babies represented for June a model of how communities should help raise families. Casey House Hospice was built on June’s dream of compassionate care for those at the end of life, and her commitment to people living with HIV/AIDS. The procession will wind past some of the oldest and poorest neighbourhoods of Toronto, recognizing June’s tireless efforts to end poverty in Canada.
At this time, we also extend our warmest thoughts to June’s family. June’s greatest personal passions were her husband Trent Frayne, her four children Jill, Brant, Jesse and Casey (who died in 1982) and her five grandchildren. That you for sharing your Joon with us for 40 years. You are also our heroes.
June was also an extraordinary journalist and writer, writing over 30 books and 1,500 new stories and articles. She hosted several extraordinary television series as well. She has won more than 50 awards, especially:
- Companion of the Order of Canada (2001)
- Order of Ontario
- B’nai Brith Woman of the Year (1969) – her first major award
- City of Toronto Award of Merit (1974)
- Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, Human Relations Award (1978)
- Canadian News Hall of Fame (1984)
- Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Manitoba (1984) for “excellence in achievement within our society
- YWCA Women of Distinction Award (1986)
- Toronto Arts Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (1990)
- Harmony Award (2002)
- Canadian Journalism Foundation (2004)
- Toronto Humanist of the Year (2004)
- City of Toronto names a street after June Callwood, called “June Callwood Way” (2004)
- Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Government of Canada, Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award (2005)
- “June Callwood Park” is named in the Fort York area of Toronto (2005)
She became a pilot in 1946, learning to fly with the legendary Violet Milstead. Fifty years later, June took lessons and attained her gliders’ license, flying well into her late seventies. June always loved driving small convertible sports cars, like her Mazda Miata – just a little fast – especially on a road trip to Florida or other warm places with ocean and beaches. She would work tirelessly 50 weeks of the year if only she can have a two weeks to drive her sports car down south and park herself on a beach with a good book and a view of the waves.
We welcome everyone to this procession in tribute of June Callwood. June’s family calls her their “shining star”. Help us fill the streets of Toronto with our memories and our lights so our “shining star” lives on.
Procession Details: Tuesday, April 17, 7:45 p.m. at Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers, 205 Parliament Street. Rain or Shine. Dress Warmly and Bring a Flashlight. Distance 2.5 km to Casey House at 9 Huntley Street.
— Liz Chamberlain, Executive Director, Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers, 205 Parliament Street, Toronto, Ontario M5A 2Z4
