Announcing the Creation of
The Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation (TTGF) College Scholarship Program has been a tremendous extension of Tim Gullikson's desire to provide support for brain tumor patients and their families. The Scholarship Program was the vision of Corina Morariu, a former WTA Tour competitor and number one ranked player in the world in doubles. Corina launched the Scholarship Program with a seed grant in 1999. Pete Sampras augmented Corina's grant to help build the program and the first college scholarships were awarded in 2000. Since that time, with the help of many generous donors, the program has provided $800,000 in scholarships to over 500 brain tumor survivors and students with parents or siblings affected by brain tumors. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF), a 501(c)(3) organization based in Asheville, N.C., has been on a parallel mission to provide family support through college scholarships. The PBTF created its college scholarship program in 2002 to provide financial assistance to brain tumor survivors, and has awarded 397 scholarships to date. Additional PBTF family support programs include:
The PBTF was founded by Mike and Dianne Traynor, who first began raising funds for childhood brain tumor research in 1984 with the Ride for Kids program. They incorporated the PBTF in 1991. With the help of a dedicated professional staff and an exceptional network of fundraisers and volunteers nationwide, the PBTF has raised more than $50 million to become the world's largest source of funding for childhood brain tumor research. More than 50 research institutions worldwide have benefited from PBTF funding, including the PBTF Institute programs at Duke University, the University of California San Francisco and the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada. The TTGF and PBTF recognized the opportunity for a strong synergy between our college scholarship programs. Following discussions with the PBTF, the TTGF decided that it would be in a better position to offer more support to brain tumor patients during these challenging economic times by creating the Tim & Tom Gullikson Family Support Fund at the PBTF and dissolving the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation. The Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation will dissolve as a nonprofit corporation in January 2009 and transfer its remaining funds to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to formally establish the Tim & Tom Gullikson Family Support Fund at the PBTF. The Tim & Tom Gullikson Family Support Fund at the PBTF will commence immediately for the 2009-2010 school year. A portion of this fund has been set aside to continue scholarships for "Legacy Recipients," who are individuals who received a college scholarship from the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation for the 2008-09 academic year, plan to attend college during the 2009-2010 academic year, and who have received fewer than four TTGF scholarship awards. Legacy Recipients who are not brain tumor survivors, but who have parents or siblings affected by brain tumors, and who continue to meet other Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation scholarship criteria, will continue to be considered for a scholarship through the Tim & Tom Gullikson Family Support Fund at the PBTF. If you are interested in applying for a 2009-2010 scholarship, please read the scholarship application requirements, where you can also download a Scholarship Application Request Form. Please note that the deadline for completed applications is March 2, 2009. For more information, please call the PBTF at 800-253-6530 or visit the PBTF's website at www.pbtfus.org. |
2006 College Scholarship Recipient
NAME: Elizabeth Marciano
"When I was 10-years-old, I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, all which were successful treatments to remove my tumor. Just as [the people I met while ill] helped my family and me get through tough times, I want to help others facing hard times as well. I love working with children and I hope to instill in my students the important values of thinking of others first and helping those in need." |
