INSPIRE Awards Board of Directors
Antoine Elhashem, President & Board Chair
Count Klassy, Vice-President
David Vogelhut, Secretary
Davina Hader, Board Member
Adam Sluski, Board Member
Savoy Howe, Board Member
Justin Preston, Board Member
Committees:
Rev. Kelly Renee, Head of Nominations and Procedures Committee
Contact INSPIRE Awards
President & Board Chair, Antoine Elhashem
Vice President, Count Klassy
All Members of the Board
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INSPIRE Awards Team Bios
Antoine Elhashem (He/Him)
Antoine Elhashem, founder and president of INSPIRE Awards, had a simple idea, or more of a question: "Why don’t we do more to celebrate those who are doing amazing and inspiring work in our LGBTQ2S+ community?" From that, INSPIRE Awards was born.
Antoine has spent the last 30 years in LGBTQ2S+ media working with all the major historical local LGBTQ2S+ publications, has volunteered with numerous organizations. He is currently the publisher of some of the leading LGBTQ2S+ media platforms and host of a popular local talk show. He is incredibly passionate about community, representation, inclusion and diversity, celebrating, and lifting up people.
Count Klassy (He/Him)
Count Klassy is a new age hip hop artist representing Toronto as his hometown! He’s been ghostwriting for Grammy-Award winning artists for 5 years, handling their digital marketing portfolios, while simultaneously working on his own music.
Count Klassy has previously worked as a Human Rights Educator and Event Coordinator for the Student Help and Advocacy Centre located at the University of Guelph.
He is passionate about inclusivity, diversity and building new chapters in our history.
David Vogelhut (He/Him)
David is an active member of the LGBTQ2S+ community and is a fierce advocate for equity and inclusion. A graduate of George Brown college, he is often seen attending local community events, and is a proud member of the INSPIRE Awards executive committee.
Davina Hader (She/Her)
A Graduate of OCADU, an award winning cinematographer and filmmaker. As an artist, creativity has always been second nature. My work very often having a queer perspective.
A Queer woman, activist and prominent member of the Toronto LGBTQ community, advocating politically, healthcare and education initiatives, volunteering and giving workshops on many issues facing and changing queer and trans communities. A recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for work in the community.
I have been involved in making films for education, events, and documentaries for many years and more recently have been pursuing more recognition with creativity in film through my heart and storytelling.
I believe Queer talents go much deeper; our resilience, and those of us who have endured countless adversity through our lifetime to be where we are …and survived, most certainly understand and are testament of this.
Many times I have argued that our differences, obscurities, and uniqueness are really gifts that should be revered by ourselves and others and we should never be made to feel shameful of these features but rather allowed to be proud!
It is these differences that bring us together, standing collectively and celebrating these unique characteristics as a community we are pushing the envelope on public awareness, acceptance and finally change!
Adam Sluski (He/Him)
Originally from Milton, Ontario, and now currently living in Hamilton with his wife, Adam is a changemaker and strives to make the LGBTQ2S+ community, and the world as a whole, a happier and more inclusive space.
Adam identifies as Pansexual, and is an advocate for people’s inherit human rights, especially the rights of all women.
Adam lives his life with the philosophy that we are all created equal, period.
Savoy Howe
Savoy, originally from New Brunswick, moved to Toronto with a theatre degree in 1989. In 1996 Savoy opened the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club, Canada’s first all-female and trans positive boxing club and the first boxing club in North America to have a Trans Inclusion Policy. One of the many programs that ran in the gym from 2006 to 2016 was ‘Shape Your Life’, a free boxing program for female identified survivors of violence. Savoy is the recipient of the 2018 Inspire Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Justin Preston
Justin Preston was born and raised in Fort Erie, Ontario. After being mercilessly bullied throughout most of his adolescence, In 2012 Justin founded the global campaign, "Rise Against Bullying" so he can not only share his story but use it to inspire people to "be the change they want to see in the world".
Justin is now a Kids Help Phone National Ambassador, advocating for the importance of young kids having someone reliable to speak with when they’re in crisis. He has travelled across Canada to share his story, which resonates with many audiences, particularly those within the LGBTQQIP2SAA community.
Justin’s message of equality, awareness and acceptance has reached worldwide with his video reaching 1 million views on a Telus Originals Cyber-bullying documentary and has amassed over 200,000 followers on his social media platform.
Justin now handwrites thousands of people across the globe through his #LettersByJustin campaign. He reaches out to his followers and people who may feel alone or are experiencing trauma or mental health-related issues.
For being such a consistent source of light and positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin was awarded a Niagara Impact Award, which was voted on by members of the community and awarded by the Region of Ontario.
Rev. Kelly Renee
Rev. Kelly represents a safe space for community building, learning, and sharing together, offering a wide variety of on-site and online programming through Kelly’s Green Lounge. From medical cannabis education, to promoting small businesses and entrepreneurs, Rev. Kelly highlights the very best of the cannabis community in all facets of the network. The KGL Network includes: KGL, KGLTV, The Church of KGL, Canna-Product Development, and Rev. Kelly: Minister, Spokesperson and voice of the “Cannabis Spirituality” movement. She is a proud ally and advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ community and actively participates in community programming.
INSPIRE Awards Mailing Address
INSPIRE Awards
1691 Pickering Pkwy, Unit 205
Pickering ON L1V 5L9 Canada
Office: 416.926.9588