Gay Games VIII Cheerleaders raise USD 16,000 in donations at Gay Games VIII

Everyone who was in Cologne for Gay Games VIII knows that the Cheerleaders had a MAJOR presence there. The biggest of these groups was the Gold-Medal winning CHEER San Francisco. Together with cheerleaders from CHEER Los Angeles and CHEER New York, they collaboratively raised money for their highly successful "Cheer For Life" mission, by appearing with their red buckets at numerous events. Together, these three cheer teams are known as the Pride Cheerleading Association. At the 2006 Chicago Gay Games, over $4,000 was raised for the local "Chicago House" charity. Four years before that in Sydney at Gay Games VI, these cheerleaders raised over USD 3,000 for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation.

Amazingly, these dedicated Cheerleaders raised over USD 16,000 in cash. Half of this money was donated to AIDS-Hilfe Köln, one of Germany's largest AIDS service organizations. The other half of the funds are being donated to the Federation of Gay Games' Scholarship Fund. The formal presentation of these funds will be made on 28 September.

One of the members of Cheer San Francisco is Craig Herrera who also appears on a local TV station as a weather reporter. Upon returning from Gay Games VIII, Craig appeared on his news telecast and talked openly about performing in Cologne. He also included some video footage from the Closing Ceremony. Check out the YouTube video below.

The FGG is delighted with the amazing effort of these cheerleaders, and the impact their generosity will have on future underserved individuals who will be able to experience the Gay Games. Cheer San Francisco have participated in every one of the eight Gay Games, and while their contributions have always been notable, never have they been as notable as at the recent Cologne Gay Games. Thank you to all the cheerleaders who made this happen!