Vancouver's Opera Mariposa To Present Month-long Programme Benefitting The ME | FM Society of BC

This May, Canadian artists are rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-infectious illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, Vancouver's Opera Mariposa is presenting their 2025 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring art, prizes, and special programming benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

May is the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and Mariposa's programming is created by and for people impacted by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), Fibromyalgia, and Long Covid. These complex multisystem illnesses affect millions of people across Canada - and that number is rising, given that they can be triggered by viruses, including COVID-19.

Mariposa general manager Stephanie Ko says, "As a disability-led company, many of Mariposa's own artists and community members have been personally impacted by these illnesses. We've seen how life-altering they can be - but also how powerful it is when people are seen, heard, and supported." That's where Mariposa's Benefit + Awareness Month comes in: "It's about strengthening those community connections, while spotlighting some of the creatives sharing these often invisible and invisibilized experiences through art."

ME | FM Society of BC's executive director Talia Rose emphasizes the urgency of the cause. "The benefits and advocacy work provided by community initiatives like Opera Mariposa's Benefit + Awareness Month are essential. The alarming lack of funding and awareness at every level of government highlights significant systemic gaps. It has become vital for us to fundraise to educate our physicians and our community, ensuring that those affected receive the support and understanding they deserve."