A crowdfunding campaign has raised more
than $100,000 for a gay college athlete's living expenses after she
was disowned by her family over her sexuality.
Emily Scheck, a sophomore at Canisius
College in Buffalo, where she is pursuing a business degree and runs
cross-country and track, first told Outsports.com
that her parents, after discovering a photo of their daughter on
social media with her girlfriend, threatened to disown her if she did
not return home from college and attend counseling.
“Because you disgust me,” Scheck
said that her mother told her in a text message.
After Scheck refused, her family packed
up her belongings and birth certificate, traveled to Buffalo and left
them in her parked car.
Even with two jobs, Scheck was unable
to fund her school and living expenses. Her roommate created a
GoFundMe
online campaign with the hopes of raising $5,000.
The National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) initially told Scheck that she could not accept
the donations. Officials reversed themselves last week, saying that
Scheck could retain her eligibility and accept donations for her
expenses.
“NCAA rules and waiver precedent
allow a school to assist a student-athlete with a fundraiser after a
significant life-event occurs,” the NCAA said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Scheck said that she would
stop accepting donations after raising $100,515 from 2,573 donors.
“I now know that family is not always
something you have, but something you find,” Scheck said in a
statement. “The positive outreach has been unbelievable.”
Scheck's father told The Buffalo
News that they love and accept their daughter.