2006 SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENT - SHAUN SPERLING

The Gene and John Athletic Fund of Stonewall awarded its first Athletic Scholarship in 2006 to gay athlete Shaun Sperling, a runner who has participated in the AIDS Marathon Training Programs in both Chicago and San Francisco. As a trainer, in the program, Shaun has inspired and encouraged thousands of runners to complete a marathon and to raise money for HIV/AIDS.

He has been accepted by Chicago's John Marshall College of Law and the scholarship will help pay for his legal education. Shaun is a committee member of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's Junior Board. Also, he has been named as one of Chicago's 30 under 30 by the Windy City Media Group for his work and contribution to various LGBT organizations.

Shaun's ultimate athletic goal is to complete an Iron Man Marathon. His ambitions include encouraging other to reach their personal goals. Shaun said "There is no greater joy for me than to help others, just as I have, accomplish something they never thought they could achieve".