2008 SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENTS

The Gene and John Athletic Fund of Stonewall continued its Scholarship Program, now in its third year, by granting scholarships to gay athletes Molly Faulkner and Tony Hansen. The scholarships will help the recipients to continue their education and sports training.

The co-founders of the Fund, Gene Silbert and John Kiley, who are long-time members of the gay running and swimming organizations Front Runners New York and Team New York Aquatics, said "We are again pleased by the diversity of this year's applicants and by the recipients' splendid achievements in pursuit of their sports. Granting scholarships to these two exemplary athletes fulfills key objectives of our Fund – to promote a healthy lifestyle among LGBT individuals and to showcase this community's outstanding athletes as role models for LGBT youth."

Molly Faulkner is an accomplished golfer and softball player. As a golfer in high school, she was named Scholar Athlete and received both a Most Improved Player Award and a 4-year Commitment Award. A leader in softball as well, Molly was chosen Senior Captain of her schoolıs softball team, was named a Scholar Athlete and an All-Conference Athlete, and received another 4-year Commitment Award.

Molly is attending Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where she will major in French with a minor concentration in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. A strong linguist, Molly will study in North Africa as part of her College's Study Abroad Program. Commenting on her passion for languages, Molly said: "I have a strong ability to learn languages and am fluent in French, conversational in Italian and literate in Hebrew." She aspires to serve as an interpreter in the diplomatic Corps.

Tony Hansen, this year's second grant recipient, is a Taekwondo expert. A 3rd degree black belt (Jr. Master), Tony placed at the 2008 US Open in New Orleans and in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association tournaments. He teaches in the southside YMCA Taekwondo program in Des Moines, IA.

Tony is studying for a degree in public policy administration at Walden University in Baltimore, MD, in his words, to "better myself and to better our community." Tony has contributed to the legislative lobby efforts of Equality Iowa and the Central Iowa AIDS Project, and has served on the board of the Cedar Rapids Gay and Lesbian Resource Center. He has also sung with the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus.

All of these activities have strengthened Tony's commitment to help build more peaceful, courteous, understanding communities. "Through competing [in] and teaching martial arts, fighting for civil rights, or singing in the chorus, there are lessons to be learned and lessons to be taught when people are willing to listen…We can use the common human struggle (physical, mental or spiritual) to help transcend differences and learn [from each other]" Tony said.