Family Of St. Charles Girl, 9, Who Died Donates To Park District

From St. Charles Park District: Love of Swimming Focus of “For Scout Foundation” Donation to St. Charles Park District

Scout Cantrell was both an empathetic and athletic child. Her desire to help others was exceeded only by her prowess in the swimming pool. So when Scout passed away in 2014 at the age of 9 due to complications from asthma, her family knew that a wonderful way to honor her twin passions in life was to create a mechanism that would help children who might not have access to swim lessons learn how to swim and love the sport as much as Scout did.

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In 2015, Scout’s parents, Felicity and Tony Cantrell, and sister Katie established the “For Scout Foundation” dedicated to supporting the causes that were important to Scout. This year, thanks to a generous $10,000 donation by the “For Scout Foundation”

“Scout always loved being part of something that was bigger than her,” said Felicity Cantrell. “Her exact words at a very young age were, ‘Mommy, I want to make the world a little bit better place.’ And she did.” Scout rescued animals, helped with supply drives for Anderson Animal Shelter as well as volunteering at the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Feed My Starving Children. “She loved doing for others,” said Cantrell.

But swimming was Scout’s passion. “This year, we wanted to be able to reach even more kids who want to learn to swim,” said Cantrell. “That is why we have partnered with the park district to help kids in the summer learn to love the pool and the sport of swimming as much as Scout and her sister, Katie, have.”

“The donation from the ‘For Scout Foundation’ furthers the opportunities available to individuals of all ages who are in need of financial assistance in order to take advantage of the park district’s numerous swim instruction and water safety programs,” said Jennifer Bruggeman, Assistant Superintendent of Recreation.

“It’s a wonderful example of community groups working together to keep our children having fun at the pool while learning water safety and survival skills.”

Applications for the St. Charles Park Foundation’s Financial Aid Program can be found online at https://www.stcparkfoundation.org/financial-aid-program. The standard of eligibility follows the same guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the reduced price lunch programs.

For both Scout and her older sister, Katie, being safe and comfortable in and around water was something they were exposed to when they were only a few months old.“I grew up loving the water and always wanted the kids to share that, but I knew it was safety first,” said Cantrell. “That’s why I had them start lessons so young.”

The success of those lessons was evident in swim competitions for both Cantrell children. Katie made the orange level St. Charles Swim Team when she was 8. Now a junior at St. Charles North High School, Katie has competed in both short and long course State Championships since she was 9 and has been a varsity letter swimmer on her high school team for 3 years. A member of three National Honor Societies, Katie has been an academic all-conference winner the last two years of eligibility and represents the swim team in both the North Star Leadership Council and Scholar Athletes clubs.

Inspired by her older sister Katie, Scout began her own pre-swim team lessons and training when she was just four years old. She joined the Otter Cove Otters, where she excelled at butterfly.“She was a natural butterflier,” said Cantrell. “She would race butterfly against kids almost twice her age. She loved every practice, every meet, every part of being an Otter Cove Otter.”

This park district experience motivated her to join the St. Charles swim team at age 7, when she became one of only a handful of kids in the country who could swim a legal 100m butterfly – a feat accomplished at Swanson Pool. At age 9, Scout swam butterfly at regional competitions, where she was the fastest 9 year old butterflier there.

Created in 2015, the “For Scout Foundation” has awarded more than $150,000 to causes Scout believed in, such as the Anderson Animal Shelter and the American Asthma Foundation. In addition, the Foundation has provided $80,000 to every CUSD 303 arts and music education class; $10,000 worth of playground equipment to Wasco Elementary School, and established the Scout Cantrell Aquatic Scholarship to help children from elementary through high school learn to swim or be part of a swim team, with no worry of financial burden.

“Maybe, just maybe, there will be a new little Otter Cove Otter who will follow in Scout’s footsteps, because of this program, and will love it just as much as Scout did,” said Cantrell.Residents can begin to register for swim lessons beginning February 28, 2018 and March 7, 2018 for nonresidents. Lessons are available at both Otter Cove Aquatic Park and Swanson Pool. For more information about the financial assistance available for swim lessons through the partnership with the “For Scout Foundation” and the St. Charles Park Foundation, contact Jennifer Bruggeman at or Cori Hedlund, Registration Supervisor, at .

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