Dykota Morgan was a familiar face around Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside. Because her aunt, Tiffany Morgan is advancement coordinator at the assisted living and skilled nursing facility, 15-year-old Dykota had attended Chicago Scots events and visited the campus with her aunt.
On May 2, Dykota tested positive for COVID-19. By May 4, the disease had taken her life.
“This heartbreaking story is very real to us – not a statistic, but a life we’d known,” said Gus Noble, president of Caledonia Senior Living, which is operated by Chicago Scots.
In response, Caledonia Senior Living, 2800 Desplaines Ave., will be hosting free vaccination clinics every three weeks until further notice, beginning Wednesday, May 19, so that as many people, especially younger people, can be inoculated against COVID-19. The clinics are open to anyone eligible to receive a vaccine.
The first clinic will be at 3 p.m. on May 19, and all three approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – will be available. The Pfizer vaccine is the one approved for those ages 12-15. Noble noted that in clinical trials the Pfizer vaccine was found to be 100-percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among that age group.
“We’re hosting the clinic because we can, it’s the right thing to do and because we want, in some way, to honor Dykota’s memory,” said Noble, who added that the girl’s mother, Krystal Morgan, will be vaccinated at Caledonia Senior Living at the clinic scheduled for June 2.
Anyone wishing to receive a vaccination is being asked to call 708-447-5092 or email to info@schicagoscots.org to reserve a shot.
“Caledonia Senior Living has been a member of this local community for more than a century, so we want to do our part to help protect our neighbors and friends,” said Noble, noting that 99.5 percent of the people who live and work at Caledonia are fully vaccinated.
“It’s on their behalf that I implore you to take the vaccine,” Noble said. “It is the best way to protect yourself and the people you love.”
Dykota Morgan lived in Bolingbrook and attended Bolingbrook High School where, according to her aunt, Tiffany Morgan, she was an honors student, an avid foodie and “wanted to pursue a career in law and protect the rights of marginalized people.”
“Dykota has been one of the greatest blessings that ever touched her family and community, and we want her story and her legacy to live on and be an inspiration to others,” Tiffany Morgan wrote on the GoFundMe page she started to benefit the family.
Anyone wishing to donate can visit gofund.me/7191d8df.
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