SAN FRANCISCO (APRIL 5, 2021) – Bold.org, the scholarship platform committed to fighting student debt through philanthropy, continues its Year of Giving Campaign with a new $10,000 scholarship. For the campaign’s April chapter, Bold.org partners with MMA fighter, Cat Zingano, for a $10,000 Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship. The scholarship debuts days before Cat’s upcoming fight on April 9th against Olivia Parker at Bellator 256. Cat’s scholarship will be awarded to a student who is fighting through the loss of a loved one and is in need of financial support for their education as they move forward.
The Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship is inspired by the support that Cat experienced during times of severe loss and grief. When Cat was in college, her mother was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. Her mother’s declining health deeply impacted Cat and her family. When her mother passed away in 2005, she was struck by devastating loss during an already stressful time. Cat had just become pregnant with her son. She was juggling a job, her college courses and preparing for parenthood — all while grieving the loss of her mother.
After college, Cat achieved incredible success early on in her MMA career. She was rising up the ranks and thriving professionally. Suddenly, her life was impacted once again by traumatic loss. In 2014, her husband — who had helped guide her career as a coach — took his own life. The unexpected devastation and loss of her husband changed her and her son’s lives forever. They both continue to feel the immense loss, and still make accommodations every day. Just as Cat did after losing her mom, she and her son had no choice but to adapt and move forward.
Although Cat has faced such tragedies, she continues to fight both on-and-off the mat to show her son that hardships won’t conquer their life. An inspiration and a role model, Cat has persevered through the darkest of times. She fights on for her son and remains deeply grateful to the many people that have provided support throughout her grieving processes. Cat created her $10,000 Overcoming Loss Scholarship as a way to pay it forward — to provide support for someone else who is facing loss, but is determined to not let it conquer them.
Bold.org CEO and Founder, Dror Liebenthal, says: “Cat’s experience overcoming loss has moved all of us at Bold.org. She is an incredible role model for anyone fighting through the loss of a loved one. Cat has taken traumatic life experiences and somehow — after everything she’s gone through — become a beacon of strength and perseverance. We’re honored to work with her for our Year of Giving Campaign, and we’ll all be rooting for her during her big fight coming up!”
Cat Zingano says: “The impact of losing my loved ones changed my life. I'm so grateful for the support and resources that many have offered me over the years. Struggling with loss is never easy, and it never goes away. Now I want to be that support for someone else through a $10,000 Overcoming Loss Scholarship available on Bold.org. This scholarship is for students who have lost a loved one and are still grinding away toward their education. I know at times I've needed help, so now I’m paying it forward to someone who has experienced loss and needs help, just as I did.”
The Year of Giving Campaign kicked off in January 2021 after a philanthropic 2020 at Bold.org when the organization created hundreds of brand new scholarships with partner organizations and individual donors to fight student debt. The campaign is Bold.org’s commitment to creating $10,000 scholarships each month alongside impact-focused public figures and brands. Previous campaign partners include EDM producer and DJ 3LAU, NFL Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace and Grammy-winning band, Imagine Dragons. At the end of the year, the campaign will announce Bold.org’s largest scholarship yet for $100,000. To join Bold.org in fighting America’s student debt crisis, donors can create their own custom scholarship by creating a profile at www.bold.org.
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The Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship
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Bold.org is an organization committed to eliminating student debt and democratizing philanthropy. Founded in November 2019, Bold.org bravely embarks on a journey to relieve the country's soaring $1.8 trillion student debt crisis. Bold.org provides a platform for any person or company to create personalized scholarships, fellowships or grants. Financially backed by Mechanism Ventures, Bold.org pioneers a new industry by creating an innovative and philanthropic solution to combat the student debt crisis, which has tremendously impacted 44 million Americans to date.