Fundraising Effort For Slain Chicago Mother, Teacher Calo At $80K

CHICAGO — Those who knew Amanda Calo will always remember her for her infectious smile and unmistakable laugh that filled every room she walked into.

That’s how friends who are organizing a fundraising effort are honoring the Chicago mother of two who was found shot to death in a parked car on Monday. A GoFundMe effort started in support of the Chicago native and Matthew Gallistel Language Academy teacher had raised nearly $80,000 as of Wednesday evening, two days after Calo was found dead in a car with her husband.

Calo, 31, was found shot to death inside the car along with her 31-year-old husband, Illinois State Trooper Antonio Alvarez. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Calo’s cause of death to be a homicide and said on Tuesday that Alvarez had taken his own life. Family members told ABC 7 that the two were separated, and she intended to leave him.

Police and medical examiner reports listed the woman as Amanda Alvarez, but friends and colleagues used her maiden name, identifying her as Amanda Calo.

In a statement posted to her Facebook page, 10th Ward Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza wrote that Calo was her goddaughter. She said that her death "an immeasurable loss for her family and the community."

She added: "While we no longer will be graced with her presence, we hope to alleviate some of the financial burden during this time of need."

The Chicago Police Department has not commented on the circumstances of the shooting as the investigation is ongoing, but said that investigators recovered a gun at the scene. The couple was found inside the non-department issued car at 1:25 p.m. on Monday in the 1100 block of South Avenue E.

Alvarez was a three-year veteran of the Illinois State Police.

The organizers of the fundraising effort said that every dollar raised will go directly to the education, health and welfare of Calo’s children, Myla, 1, and Eli, 4.

“She was loved by many and adored by classmates, friends and coworkers alike,” the GoFundMe page said.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the Chicago Teacher’s Union said that Calo was a Pre-K teacher at Gallistel and called her death "another devastating loss for one of our school communities."

A family member posted on Facebook that the wake and funeral Mass will take place on Monday. Visitation was scheduled for 2-8 p.m. at Elmwood Chapel on South Ewing Avenue, followed by the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Our Lady Of Nazareth parish.

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