Grants for young athletes with disabilities to compete at local, state, national and at the Paralympics are being offered through Variety the Children's Charity of Illinois. The Live to Achieve program enables children 8-21 to receive up to $1,000 for assistance with travel, training and other costs.

Applications can be downloaded at varietyofillinois.org. For print copies, call Variety at (312) 822-0660.

Variety of Illinois' decision takes into account the applicant's overall personality and life goals, not just athletic talent.

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