Trevor Olson was hesitant to receive any help. It’s never been his nature. But in a time of his greatest need, the University of Tennessee junior was brought to tears by the power of the Volunteer Spirit.
Olson’s father, Steven, died in an automobile crash last Wednesday at age 59. It came only three months after Olson’s stepmother died from cancer. Amid his grieving, Olson was trying to figure out how to pay for his father’s cremation. The computer science major pays for his tuition and living expenses with the help of grants and a part-time job.
The father of Scott’s girlfriend, Emily Cupp, a UT senior in the Tombras School of Advertising, started a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the cremation expenses. It was shared on an unofficial UT parent group on Facebook, and the donations began pouring in.
The goal was $2,500. Within two days, it had exceeded more than $17,000.
“I’m actually overwhelmed with how many people are donating,” Olson said. “I can’t believe how much people care. A lot of the people donating are people I don’t even know. I didn’t expect this level of support. It really helps me feel better, because I’ve been feeling pretty lonely the past few days.”
Olson is the youngest of three children, and his brother and sister live in other areas. He grew up in Sevierville after moving to Tennessee from Michigan and is a first-generation college student.
“My whole life, I’ve never really wanted to ever ask anybody for anything, because I grew up pretty poor,” Olson said. “I was a little ashamed about that when I was younger, but now that I’ve grown and matured, I’m not as ashamed about it anymore. But I’ve never asked for anything and have usually always done everything myself, like my student loans, my car, and rent. I don’t want to beg for money.”
Getting Help for His Grief
Olson’s father was killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck near their house. The pickup truck driver was allegedly under the influence, and Olson was told by a Highway Patrol officer that his father died on impact.
Olson and his father were still mourning the death of his stepmother, who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer a year ago.
“She didn’t really tell us that she had a timeline because she didn’t want to scare me or my dad,” Olson said. “She ended up passing away on their anniversary and my dad was pretty messed up about that. I was trying to help him through it. I wish I could have been there for him more.”
On a friend’s recommendation, Olson reached out the Center for Care and Resilience through the Division of Student Life at UT a few hours after his dad died.
“I knew that losing two parents in one semester is not really good for the mental state, so I went ahead and booked the session with the Student Health Center,” Olson said. “That way I can talk to a professional about how to process all of this.”
Honoring His Father
Olson’s dad was proud of his son’s academic accomplishments at UT. Olson has made the Dean’s List for three straight semesters, and his dad “would blast it all over Facebook every time I sent him the link at the end of the semester,” Olson said. “That made me feel good, because I was his pride and joy.”
“I’m just really sad that he’s not going to make it to graduation next year,” Olson added. “I was already sad that Tina wasn’t going to be able to make it to graduation next year. But now neither one of them will be able to see that.”
Because of the donations to the GoFundMe account, Olson is planning to hold a Celebration of Life for his father.
“It’s been such a blessing, because now it’s given me the money to actually honor my dad in a way that I really, really wanted to,” he said. “The last two months, he was probably the at the loneliest part of his life and I am very sad he passed away feeling so lonely. I know he’s looking down on at all of us and I just want to show him that we really did care about him.”
Olson has received support from his girlfriend’s family to arrange things like calling funeral homes and finding probate attorneys. He is still trying to find a home for his German Shephard, Maize, because his apartment doesn’t allow pets.
Once he’s had more time to process everything, Olson plans to reach out to everyone who displayed their Volunteer Spirit through the GoFundMe account.
“I don’t even know how to say thank you to all these people,” he said. “I want to write handwritten notes to every one of them. I would love to tell them all how much it truly means.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)