www.TeamChicago.org

Team Chicago applauds you for joining us in supporting the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program

Did you know that many of almost 100 Gay Games scholarship recipients from prior years rode on a plane for the first time thanks to an athlete scholarship? Their lives will now be positively changed forever by the trip and the Gay Games. Thanks to people like you who will contribute to the Team Chicago Athlete Scholarship Fund, many more people from around the Chicago area will take their first plane ride to GGVIII in Cologne, Germany.

To make a contribution to the Scholarship Program, please CLICK below. It will take you to PayPal, where you can make a contribution via your pay pal account or a major credit card. These contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law, please check with your tax preparation professional on applicability to your situation.

A lot of athletes are funded in previous years from donations starting at the $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $250 levels. Every dollar counts. You can also purchase merchandise on our site and a portion of the sales of each merchandise item will be allocated to the Athlete Scholarship Fund as well.

If you use a major credit card, Your credit card billing statement will state that you have been charged with a "donation" by Team Chicago. Team Chicago will donate all proceeds, less the PayPal service charge to the selected athelte(s) in accordance with the scholarship committee's selection and established evaluation criteria for each international games.

Support the Gay Games Scholarship Fund Each Time You Fly!

Beginning immediately, every time you travel via American Airlines, anywhere in the world, please specify the FGG Business ExtrAA number when making your reservation: 799173. Your flights will earn points for the Gay Games Scholarship Fund, which will then be used to help deserving recipients.

One Business ExtrAA point will be received for each $10 spent by Gay Games supporters to fly on eligible tickets on American Airlines, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection. Be sure to specify the number 799173 when you make your reservation and when you check in.

This is a free program... it’s easy to participate, it costs you nothing, and it benefits the Gay Games movement.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about this program:

How will these ExtrAA points be used?
The points will be used to help Gay Games Scholarship candidates attend the Gay Games, and other purposes approved by the FGG Board of Directors.

Will I still be able to collect my own frequent flyer points when I use American Airlines?
Yes.

How do I use this program?
To earn points for the Gay Games Scholarship Fund, include the FGG’s Business ExtrAA number when you make your reservation. The FGG’s Business ExtrAA account number is 799173.

Who will decide the allocation of points to recipients?
The Board will decide or designate to a specific person or group of people.

Who will administer the program?
At this time, John Skoubis (the FGG’s Director of Development and Communications) will administer the program.

Gay Games Scholarships create opportunity

Bringing new participants to the Gay Games is critical to continuing the growth of this movement, which began in 1982. Through the outreach efforts of the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) and each host organization, more people within and outside lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community learn about and are inspired to participate in a Gay Games event. A key outreach objective is to encourage people from underrepresented areas and demographic groups to participate in the Gay Games. Scholarship programs are a crucial component of outreach to this group of people for it makes the Gay Games accessible; and, potentially, it inspires new leaders to take home the spirit of the Games to grow local LGBT sport and cultural activities.

The Goals of the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program for the Cologne 2010 Gay Games are to:

• Increase participation in the Games by under-represented groups,
• Bring new participants into the Gay Games movement,
• Serve as a catalyst for building and strengthening LGBT sports and cultural organizing throughout the world, and
• Provide a blueprint for developing and implementing a scholarship program for host organizations of future Gay Games.

We anticipate that scholarships will be available for:

• Basic event registration fees (participatory athletic and cultural events)
• Travel costs to and from Cologne
• Accommodations
• Daily allowance for the Games period

Although the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program will attempt to accommodate as many people as possible, it is not possible to accommodate everyone with regard to special needs, variation in demographic traits, and financial need.

***ONLINE Donation Procession is Temporarily NOT Available ***

If you have questions about the Gay Games Scholarship Program, please contact scholarships@gaygames.org

If you have any questions about Team Chicago, please contact kyleChang@teamchicago.org

Join Our Email List Email:   For Email Newsletters you can trust