This Big Day of Giving, Help LGBTQ+ Students “Make the Grade”

by Rainbow Chamber Foundation

But for many gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students, the obstacles to graduation are numerous. Students in the LGBTQ community are statistically more likely to deal with discrimination, bullying, substance abuse, and mental health issues than their non-LGBTQ classmates.

And on top of this, they are less likely to have family support.

LGBT college students are up to 4x more likely than straight and cisgender students to pick schools far away from their hometowns,

The Foundation is thrilled to be participating again in the Big Day of Giving on May 4. The Big Day of Giving is “an annual 24-hour giving event that unites caring people to raise funds for nonprofits that strengthen El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties” (bigdayofgiving.org). Giving opens on April 20 – make sure to bookmark the Rainbow Chamber Foundation’s page (go here or use the QR code in the image: https:// www.bigdayofgiving.org/organization/ rainbowchamberfoundation) whether they are escaping a hostile family, an unwelcoming town, or increasingly terrifying anti-gay and trans laws in their home state.

(Source: UCLA Williams Institute, 2022, Experiences of LGBTQ People in Four-Year Colleges and Graduate Programs). This leads to less financial and emotional support from family.

What does this all mean? Essentially, our LGBTQ+ friends, neighbors, and community members are less likely to finish college, less likely to earn a living wage, and less likely to achieve their dreams than their cisgender and straight peers.

The Rainbow Chamber Foundation, the non-profit giving arm of the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, wants to partner with you to see every member of our local LGBTQ+ community thrive!

Since 2008, the Foundation has proudly awarded more than 120 scholarships and has contributed more than $375,000 to fund college and vocational education scholarships for LGBTQ and LGBT-supportive youth and support non-profit organizations, including the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, National Suicide Prevention Program Trevor Project, GSA Network, Transgender Law Center, Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF), and the Equality California Institute. The Foundation focuses most of its giving on scholarships and organizations that help LGBTQ youth.

Your gift will help dozens of students in the coming year pay for books, tuition, fees, school supplies, and living expenses. In addition to the actual financial investment, many of our scholarship recipients tell us that knowing the community is rallying behind them gives them strength to continue with their studies when times get hard. Together, we can help our LGBTQ+ students make the grade and achieve their dreams! Thank you for investing in the future of our community this Big Day of Giving.