Chuck Panozzo and his band, Styx, are performing tonight at Casino Rama, but the classic rocker made a stop in Orillia first to celebrate local youth who are making a difference.
For the third time, the Orillia Youth Centre presented its Chuck Panozzo Youth Legacy Award during an event Friday at Rustica Pizza Vino.
The recipients were Ethan Odlozinski and Brandon Rhéal Amyot.
Amyot, president of Fierté Simcoe Pride, was invited as the guest speaker for Friday’s ceremony. A look of shock — and a bit of embarrassment — was on Amyot’s face when youth centre director Kevin Gangloff announced Amyot as a recipient of the award.
“I thought I was just a keynote speaker,” Amyot said. “I’m really grateful, but I tend to take a backseat, a supporting role.”
Regardless, the award will only motivate them further.
“I’m not one for awards, but I take it as a challenge to one-up myself and keep doing better.”
Amyot’s activism began in 2011 while attending a Catholic high school.
“When I wanted to start a GSA (gay-straight alliance), I was told no,” they said.
The province was working on a law to enshrine the rights of students to start GSAs at any high school, but Amyot “couldn’t wait any longer,” so they transferred to a school that had one.
Amyot understood not everyone was comfortable joining a GSA. When they learned about a pride group that was forming in the county, Amyot got on board. It eventually became Fierté Simcoe Pride, which has been active in the community since 2012.
“We still have a long way to go,” Amyot said of acceptance of and attitudes toward the LGBTQ community. “Cultural change can’t be legislated. We can’t tell people how to feel about things.”
Panozzo knows what it’s like to be ostracized. The Styx bassist and co-founder came out as gay in 2001 — the same year he announced he had HIV — but he struggled with his sexuality for most of his life.
“When I was a young boy, I knew I was different, but I didn’t know why,” he told the crowd, adding he heard “every negative thing you can imagine.”
Being a rock ’n’ roll musician added to the complexity of the situation.
“I’m the gay guy in the homophobic world of rock ’n’ roll,” he said of his thoughts at the time.
When he came out, things got better.
“My spirit was set free. I found my truth,” he said.
He hopes his openness inspires other young people having trouble understanding or coming to terms with their sexuality.
“If there’s a gay kid out there (in the audience) who says, ‘I think I can be him,’ I’m a success,” he said.
Since coming out, Panozzo has made it his mission to advocate for the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV/AIDS.
During Friday’s event, Gangloff presented Panozzo with a piece of art from the youth-focused Otter Art Club in Orillia, as well as a T-shirt that proclaims the musician to be a “youth advocacy ambassador.”
“I’m going to wear this on stage,” Panozzo said.
Styx will be donating a guitar to the youth centre. The instrument will hang in the Valis Sound Studio, which is being created in memory of the late Nelson Bell, when it is finished.
After the award was presented to Amyot, Gangloff introduced Odlozinski.
Ther 17-year-old Orillia Secondary School student has taken it upon himself to make life better for youth in Orillia and overseas.
He volunteers as a tutor at the youth centre and he helps new Grade 9 students transition to high-school life. He has organized fundraisers in support of marginalized and homeless youth in the community. It was his idea to start a program through his school’s Me to We group that provides lunches to local elementary school students in need.
Odlozinski spread his goodwill to Kenya, too, where he helped build a dormitory for an all-girls school.
The Grade 12 student was “honoured” to receive the award Friday.
“It inspires me more to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” he said.
His desire to help new high-school students comes from personal experience.
“I was in the same situation as them,” he said.
The Me to We lunch program came about when he saw kids “who showed up with minimal lunches.”
Gangloff was impressed with the dedication of this year’s recipients.
“We are honoured to have so many young people doing amazing work in Orillia,” he said.
Gangloff must have been in the mood to surprise people Friday. He also presented Marc Cohen with the Orillia Youth Centre Humanitarian Award.
Cohen has supported the youth centre in many ways, and he’s the one who connected the organization with his friend, Panozzo, which ultimately led to the creation of the youth legacy award.
Gangloff described Cohen as “a consummate community champion.”
“You are a kind and beautiful soul who has done nothing but advocate,” he said.
Cohen and Panozzo met when they were both living in Florida, and it didn’t take much convincing to get Panozzo to support the local cause.
“I didn’t even have to ask him twice. His heart embraced it,” Cohen said.
Cohen was “grateful” for the award and the work the youth centre does.
“Understand that we really are all connected to something so much bigger than just here,” he said.
