Pictured Gay Games co-founder Dr. Tom Waddell, Sara Waddell Lewinstein and their daughter Jessica in the mid 1980s.
Chicago organizers of the 2006 Chicago Gay Games invite supporters to board the Kanan, Navy Pier's newest luxury cruise liner, for a special benefit cruise on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005. Enjoy a two-hour cruise with complimentary cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, music and a spectacular fireworks show viewed from beautiful Lake Michigan. Meet and mingle with friends, Gay Games athletes, sponsors and board members. Boarding is at 8 p.m. with departure at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $75 and are available by calling ( 773 ) 907-2006 or emailing info@gaygameschicago.org . Proceeds from the cruise will benefit the Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival, July 15-22, 2006 in Chicago.
Special guests on the cruise will be pioneering Gay Games organizers, including Sara Waddell Lewinstein, partner of the late Gay Games co-founder Dr. Tom Waddell, and Jessica Waddell Lewinstein, Sara and Tom's daughter. Sara was Vice-President of San Francisco Arts and Athletics, the Gay Games founding organization, and served on the Board of Directors for Gay Games I and II, both in San Francisco. She was also chair of women's outreach for Gay Games I and II. In the first two Gay Games she participated in both bowling and softball, receiving two gold medals. Her women's softball team has competed in all previous 6 Gay Games and, uniquely, has won the gold medal each time.
Sara helped organize the international Federation of Gay Games in 1989, the body that now governs the Gay Games. She served on the Federation's Board of Directors until 2002, when she became an Honorary Life Member.
Speaking freely at the time about the unconventional nature of their relationship, Sara and Tom married and had Jessica, a daughter whom Sara refers to as their 'miracle from the Games.' Born in 1983, Jessica will receive her undergraduate degree from the University of California/Santa Cruz in December 2005. She has been a fundraising supervisor at the campus for the last two years, and with her small group has raised over $1.7 million for UCSC.
To honor Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell as well as former Chicago Games, Inc., Board member Charles Clifton, both of whom died of AIDS-related complications, a portion of the proceeds will be set aside for the Test Positive Aware Network's Charles Clifton Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship fund will help bring HIV-positive athletes to Chicago for Gay Games VII.
The Benefit Cruise is co-sponsored by the Gay Games Victory Circle, MVP, and Allstar and Sponsors, businesses that are contributing significantly to the success of Gay Games VII. These include: Victory Circle: Deaf Communication by Innovation; MVPs: Bridgeview Bank, GayDayS.com, GuideToGay.com, Harris Bank, Spin, ThirdCoastMarketing.com, and WXRT Radio. Allstars: The BottomLine, Buzz Magazine, Chicago Pride, Clikque, Desert Daily Guide, Gay Chicago, GFN.com, Kraft Foods, Lesbians on the Loose Magazine, Nuevos Tiempos, Queer Life News, Scene Magazine, Steamworks, and TLA Video.
Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will take place 15-22 July 2006. Over 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis. The weeklong event will include band, cheerleading and color guard performances, chorus, an ancillary arts festival, and a series of community-organized social events and parties. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 15 at Soldier Field. Closing ceremony will be July 22 at Wrigley Field.
For the first time, the Gay Games will receive widespread television coverage on the Q Television Network. Early sponsors of Gay Games VII include PlanetOut/Gay.com; Q Television Network; Orbitz; Sydney New Mardi Gras; McKnight Kurland Baccelli; Mate, Genre, Pink and Girlfriends Magazines; Windy City Media Group; and more than 50 business sponsors.
See www.GayGamesChicago.org
