Life with Dylan

Category: philanthropy

  • Animal Conservation and Philanthropy – It’s in the Family Crest

    If you ever had doubts concerning how much my family cares about animal conservation, what you are about to read will chase those doubts away. I am sure you have figured out that conservation is pretty much what makes the world go around for Dylan, but this … well this is something that even I didn’t see coming.

    Dylan had a homework assignment that he was to complete over the winter break. He had to create his own family coat of arms using symbols, animals, and colors from a sheet his teacher gave him. Each item gave a description or a meaning of what it stood for. Here is what Dylan created as our family coat of arms.

    Bear 
           Protectiveness






    Flaming Heart 
           Passion



    Blue 
           Loyalty






    Green 
           Hope and Joy






    Pelican 
           Devotion



    The words I understood. They seemed like wonderful words to describe our family and I was proud of what he chose. Being that he is so passionate about animal conservation, I was not surprised that he chose animals for two of his sections. It wasn’t until I read his explanation on the back of the poster board that I realized he had just created the perfect coat of arms for our family.

    “My coat of arms shows my families love for philanthropy. My blue and green checkerboard shows that my family keeps all of our promises to conservation; and our hope and joy for conservation. The bear shows our families protectiveness of all animals we come across. My pelican shows my families devotion to save animals near and far. My flaming heart shows our passion for anything wildlife related.”

    Like I said, you can remove all those doubts from your mind. Dylan has now put it in writing and created a family coat of arms that I am proud to display.

    We are a family that believes in conservation.

    We take pride in our philanthropy projects.

    We value our belief that through animal conservation and education we can help save endangered animals all around the world.

    Yes, this is the perfect coat of arms for our family. Excellent job Dylan!

  • Dylan made a difference in 2013!

    As 2013 comes to an end, I can’t help but think about everything Dylan did this year. Reading for Wildlife, adopting animals, volunteering his time at the Safari Park Half Marathon, hosting his own summer camp, raising almost $1,000 for the Snow leopards and Amur leopards, and most importantly … creating awareness for all endangered species.

    The year was filled with philanthropy, conservation, and making a difference. Thank you for letting us share our journey with you. We hope you come along for the ride again in 2014!

  • Dylan’s Christmas Wish for the Leopards

    This was the first year that Dylan participated in Giving Tuesday and as you can imagine he dove right in. He proudly wore his San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy Giving Tuesday sticker all day and told many of his friends at school what giving back was all about.

    Dylan and I had discussed ahead of time who we would be supporting on Giving Tuesday and even watched a National Geographic Google+ hangout about Causing an UpROAR for Big Cats together that evening. I watched the hangout live, but knew it was something Dylan would really enjoy too.

    After watching the Google+ hangout and listening to Steve Winter talk about saving the tigers and other big cats, Dylan was inspired to continue his journey of helping big cats.

    What started out as a dream to teach other kids about endangered animals and conservation became a reality with Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp last July. Dylan raised $300 from camp registration, which was a great start, but no where near his $1,000 goal. We have a few things in the works to continue the message of Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp and of course we will host another camp next summer, but why wait to reach his goal?

    Why not start now?

    After we gave $5 and $10 donations to various non-profits that we support on Giving Tuesday, Dylan had an idea.

    “If everyone who follows Life with Dylan on Facebook and everyone who reads this post gave just $5 to my fundraiser, then I could reach my goal of $1,000 this year instead of waiting for the next Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp in 2014.”

    He wants to help build this new home for the leopards!

    Building a new home for the endangered Snow Leopard and critically endangered Amur Leopards at the San Diego Zoo is very important to Dylan. (Just as important as helping to build a new home for the tigers at the Safari Park.) Knowing how rare it is for anyone to see these animals in the wild, Dylan believes a new and improved habitat at the San Diego Zoo will help create more awareness and educate more people about these beautiful big cats.

    So Dylan is asking for your help to make his Christmas wish for the Leopards come true by donating $5 or $10 to his fundraiser. 

    If you would like to help Dylan reach his fundraising goal by Christmas Day, please make a donation here

    Thank you for supporting a child’s dream to save endangered animals all around the globe.

    Update as of December 25, 2013 … 
    Dylan has raised $500 for the leopards. Thank you so much for helping to make his Christmas Wish come true! 

  • My son isn’t an athlete and that’s ok with me

    Everyone has something that they are really good at, something that makes them stand out from the crowd. For some people this may be a sport; many kids in our neighborhood play soccer and football. Others belong to various running clubs. I think this is wonderful – the world needs athletes. However, if sports are not a child’s passion, then I don’t believe they should be put down or made to feel inferior. 


    Having different interests, hobbies, and skills is what makes us all unique individuals. I believe in fostering whatever passion a child may have rather than forcing them to conform to what others are doing. What might be the norm for some isn’t necessarily the norm for others.




    My son loves playing basketball – for fun. He doesn’t want to be on a team. He doesn’t want to commit to practicing three days a week and playing games every weekend. This is completely OK with me. His passion, his niche in life, is not sports. I know, gasp right? Wrong. 
    My son is not and probably never will be an athlete. Rather, he will change the world around him by educating others and being the best person he can possibly be. 


    Dylan has been in Scouts since 1st grade. Tiger Cub, Wolf Cub, Bear Cub, Webelo, and now he is starting his first year as a Boy Scout. He thrives in this environment and looks forward to his weekly troop meetings. He has a goal of becoming and Eagle Scout like his Grandpa and his hero Rick Schwartz, Ambassador for the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I have no doubt that with hard work and determination he will accomplish this task. 


    The other passion in Dylan’s life is animals. This is something that has interested him since he was a toddler. Dylan has always loved learning about animals, their habitats, and as he got older, creating awareness for animal conservation. Those of you who follow Life with Dylan here and on Facebook know the depth of his passion. His fundraising efforts for San Diego Zoo Global have made him somewhat of a household name around the zoo – When we attend events at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park, people stop mid-sentence and say “Oh, wait, you’re the Dylan! We’ve heard all about you.” Others see him and congratulate him or thank him for what he has done. 


    Sometimes this makes him uncomfortable – he doesn’t understand why they make such a big deal about something that seems so natural for him – and I explain that what he does is not “the norm”, but that doesn’t make it wrong or any less important. Dylan’s passion is growing stronger every day and I have no intention of holding him back. We have both seen the rewards of his hard work. Doors are continuing to open for him and amazing opportunities to learn more are within his reach. 


    Ask him what he likes to do and he will answer with philanthropy or conservation work. Dylan would rather spend his spare time reading or watching wildlife documentaries than playing sports and he would spend every weekend at the zoo if he could. Sure, he plays his fair share of video games, but Dylan is far from the average 10 year old. 


    My son is a philanthropist.


    My son is an entrepreneur.


    My son is a conservationist.


    My son is not an athlete – He is an individual who is making a difference and inspiring others. I am not saying that playing sports is a bad thing or a waste of time. If sports is your passion, then by all means excel in the game. 


    Dylan’s playing field may be different, but my son is still an all-star in my book.