Bobcat Pride Scholarship Fund will celebrate the generosity of its donors on Saturday, April 29 at Zelicks from 3 - 6 p.m. The event will feature live music by Zach Blue of the Ooey Gooeys, an art silent auction and giving three with a $1,500 matching gift and a short program at 4 p.m. highlighting donor impact accomplishments to the Jeremy O. Torres Emergency Stabilization Fund.
BPSF is a private fund that was founded in 2010 by Texas State alumni and friends who recognized the progress the university made toward the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community, yet also saw a lack in resources to support those students on campus. This inspired the group to establish a scholarship fund with the goals of offering an academic achievement scholarship and to offer a leadership development scholarship to LGBTQIA+ students at Texas State. Bobcat Pride became the first ever private scholarship dedicated exclusively to LGBTQIA+ Bobcats.
In 2013, BPSF established the Emergency Stabilization Fund to support LGBTQIA+ students facing unexpected financial crisis that could disrupt their ability to continue their studies. The ESF was renamed in 2016 in honor of Jeremy O. Torres, a faculty member in the Texas State Department of Theatre who passed away.
“He was with BPSF from our initial steps,” said Heather Aidala, executive director of BPSF. “He was always involved in the San Marcos LGBTQIA+ community, inclusive of San Marcos community members. When he passed in 2016, the leadership felt strongly that ESF embodied the love and support Jeremy always offered others. In communication with his mother, Shirley Abernethy, it was agreed we would rename the fund in his honor and his family chose BPSF as a memorial contribution to carry his legacy.”
In September 2018, BPSF’s leadership donated all funds to Alliance at Texas State. This collaboration allowed for the establishment of the first Texas State LGBTQIA+ Endowed Scholarship, guaranteeing scholarship opportunities for Bobcat students indefinitely. Then in August 2019, BPSF transferred to new leadership in order to revitalize the Jeremy O. Torres Emergency Stabilization Fund. The board of directors expanded the mission of BPSF to provide monetary support to emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who have minority sexual and gender identities and residing in the greater San Marcos area. This allows the fund to support these individuals in times of unforeseen crisis with onetime, limited financial support to safeguard their well-being and ability to stay enrolled in school.
In the time since its inception, BPSF has assisted over 200 Jeremy O. Torres Emergency Stabilization Fund recipients. The organization has provided over $98,000 in support to local LGBTQIA+ emerging adults. BPSF earned its designation 501(c)(3) status as a federal nonprofit in 2011.
In 2022, BPSF awarded over $12,000 in Emergency Stabilization Funds, with $4,000 assisting emerging adult residents of the San Marcos LGBTQIA+ community and $8,000 assisting students at Texas State.
'As a family, we are so proud of the Jeremy O. Torres Emergency Stabilization Fund,” said Shirley Abernathy, Torres’ mother. “Jeremy faced many struggles in his life as a gay man, so it was critical to him to help others when they needed it most. Knowing this fund named in his honor continues to offer support and hope for those who need it means so much to us. We are proud of his legacy and are grateful for all the work you do for the LQBTQIA+ community.”
