Daniel Calhoun
All- Star Scholarship
Stop into the GYS to fill out an application!
Following the tragic death of one of its longtime supporters, Glencoe Youth Services has established the Daniel Calhoun GYS All-Star Scholarship, with the intention of improving local teens’ experiences.
The scholarship’s namesake, Daniel Calhoun, grew up in Glencoe and participated in GYS programming as a teen, then served on its board of directors until his mid 20s.
According to Calhoun’s mother, Anne Helander, Calhoun struggled with his mental health his entire life and never felt like he fit in at school, but at GYS, he “found his tribe.”
“GYS was always the backstop for him,” providing a safe space whenever he needed one, said Helander.
Daniel’s father Walter Calhoun agreed, saying “GYS was the place he could socialize. It was the place he had made much progress.”
Daniel graduated from New Trier High School in 2005, according to his father, and then he went on to graduate cum laude from Lake Forest College and hold several jobs. But sadly, on Nov. 5, 2019, while at University of Michigan Law School, Daniel died. He was 32 years old.
At his funeral, several of his friends spoke, calling Daniel their best friend and tracing their relationship back to their days as students at GYS.
“You wouldn’t find a bigger heart,” Helander said of her son.
“GYS saved my son’s life over and over again. He lived a longer life because of it,” she added.
Christine Adams, Freelance Reporter
4:03 am CDT March 11, 2020
The Glencoe Anchor
About Daniel Calhoun
About the Scholarship
Inspired by the positive impact Daniel had on so many individuals through GYS, the organization’s board, on which his father Walter now sits, decided to establish a scholarship fund “with the determination to continue to provide quality experiences for youth as we know this is something Daniel would have wanted”
Students in fifth grade and higher are able to apply for the scholarship and put the money toward an activity of their choosing, be that summer camp, a new instrument rental, classes for a new hobby, or anything else that they are interested in. At least one scholarship of $500-$1000 will be awarded.
Christine Adams, Freelance Reporter
4:03 am CDT March 11, 2020
The Glencoe Anchor
