Lighthouse Launches South Suburban LGBTQ-Specific Scholarship

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR, IL — Homewood-Flossmoor graduates have a shot to earn a college scholarship. A GoFundMe page has been created to support the launching of the first LGBTQ-specific scholarship fund in the south suburbs of Chicago.

According to the fundraiser, Lighthouse LGBTQ is a community organization dedicated to supporting teens and young adults struggling with their sexual and gender identity in the south suburbs of Chicago. The recipients of the scholarship will be LGBTQ students and allies, graduating from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, that intend to attend a two or four-year college after graduating.

"We know that supporting, encouraging, and recognizing LGBTQ students (+allies) with their own scholarship is so important to promote inclusivity and help students achieve their full potential," organizer James Austin writes. "Students from the HF area are proven leaders, and we hope that this annual scholarship can provide some additional financial support to LGBTQ students and allies that are dedicated to increasing LGBTQ visibility and improving the lives of those in their community."

According to the fundraiser, the scholarship will be managed by the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Foundation, which is currently managing over 10 scholarships for students graduating from the high school. The award will be administered by the HFHS guidance department at the annual Honors Convocation ceremony. The foundation will maintain the funds and the scholarship will be paid directly to the student recipient, the fundraiser states.

"The intent of this fund is to provide scholarship awards of $1,000 for students graduating from Homewood-Flossmoor High School," Austin continued. "The number of awards and the amount of each award may be adjusted based on the final amount of all donations received."

The campaign to raise the funds was launched on May 25. As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser has received $5,199 of its $5,000 goal in donations. The fundraiser is expected to be open for the remaining duration of Pride Month.

Learn more about the fundraiser by checking out the GoFundMe page, here.

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