Scholarship to honour Danforth victim
Barbecue helps raise $75,000 for fund in Reese Fallon’s name for Malvern Collegiate grads
People from across the city gathered in an east-end Toronto park on Wednesday to raise money for a scholarship in honour of Reese Fallon, the 18-year-old woman killed last month in the Danforth mass shooting.
“I hope they give this scholarship out for centuries to come,” said Denise Swing, who said she volunteered at the barbecue because she has known the Fallon family for years.
The teen’s death has “left a huge hole,” she said, adding her son is the same age as Fallon.
Fallon was killed on July 22 when a gunman shot at pedestrians and restaurant-goers on Toronto’s bustling Danforth Ave. Ten-year-old Julianna Kozis also died in the violence, while 13 people were injured. The shooter, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, was also found dead in the area.
Organizers of Wednesday’s barbecue said they expected more than 1,000 people to attend the event at Bob Action Park, just a five-minute walk from where Fallon went to high school at Malvern Collegiate Institute.
The money raised will go to the Reese Fallon Scholarship Fund and the Fallon family, organizers said. Fallon had just graduated high school and was set to study nursing at McMaster University in Hamilton starting this fall. The scholarship will go each year to a graduate of Malvern Collegiate who is entering a nursing program.
By early Wednesday evening, people from across the city had begun trickling into the park, where tables were filled with gift bags for raffle and auction.
Organizers also ran an online auction, selling items such as a guitar signed by the Sam Roberts Band and VIP tickets to a Toronto FC soccer match.
Julie Steel, a family friend of the Fallons who organized the barbecue and started a crowdfunding page to raise money for the scholarship, said she was blown away by the donations received.
“It means a lot to the family,” she said. “They want to make sure she’s not going to be forgotten.”
Steel said they were just a few hundred dollars away from their $75,000 goal as of Wednesday evening. Christina Strait, who attended Wednesday’s event, said she has known the Fallon family for years, and the family “has been stunned by the outpouring.”
She said Fallon would have really liked that a scholarship was set up.
“It’s a wonderful way to spread love,” Strait said.
Fallon died while enjoying a night out with friends, including members of the Young Liberals political organization. In an obituary, family members said the teen would be “deeply missed but not forgotten.”