SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A college scholarship fund for entertainers and others who work at exotic dance clubs and in contiguous businesses has been announced by Cabaret magazine's publisher Loren Emiliani.
"(T)he more education you have," Emiliani said in a statement, "the better you do, no matter what your job."
The scholarship fund and other programs she has in the works, she says, will offer education, career and political resources for adult entertainers to help them boost their quality of life.
The scholarships - to be no higher than $2,000 - will be available to anyone working in the live adult entertainment industry, funded by T-shirts saying "Support Your Local Stripper" sold nationwide, according to the National Cabaret Association's Mike Ross. Those shirts come in two styles, full-length men's and a women's midriff shirt. Proceeds will go to a mutual fund generating income for the scholarships, and that will be overseen by the Cabaret Magazine Scholarship Fund, managed by a board of trustees and Merrill Lynch, Ross says.
More specific criteria for obtaining a scholarship include working at least a year in one club and three letters of reference, as well as a single-page essay from the candidate saying why they want the scholarship and how they will use it. A board including an NCA representative will review the submissions, with the winner being decided on merit and need together, says Ross.
"Management and entertainers need to work hand and hand if we are to overcome the government's attempts to unfairly regulate us and close our clubs," says Emiliani, herself an entertainer. "I hope to use Cabaret and my position as an entertainer to help bridge the gap between management and entertainers. We need to cooperate so that we can be more affective politically."
One of her first salvos otherwise is www.cabaretmagazine.com, a Website aimed at providing information on investment, licensing, and other relevant issues in hand with the print version of the magazine. More related info can be found at that Website as well as Cabaret Coalition, Dancers Life Resource, and Exotic Dancer Network. To order T-shirts or make tax-deductible donations to the fund, call (979) 373-0086 or (916) 923-2215. Or, send donations directly to Cabaret Magazine Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 57550, Webster, TX 77598.
- Humphrey Pennyworth
