Pictured: Children First CEO Philip Tavill (left) with Dylan Walker. Photo by Daniel Wagner or Wagner Visuals.

Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations—from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized these individuals at our annual Giving Coast and Good Hero Awards luncheon and panel discussion on December 10 at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. In the coming weeks, we are happy to feature each of the ten honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

Today we are recognizing Dylan Walker, a recipient of our Good Hero Youth Award. After seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton on Siesta Key last year, Dylan, an Out-of-Door Academy senior and football captain, felt compelled to do something to help his neighbors and community. He approached his coach and Out-of-Door leaders with a plan—to turn the school’s biggest rivalry game of the year, against Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, into a fundraiser for hurricane recovery. With support from his team and his school, Dylan asked local businesses to contribute raffle items for the fundraiser, recruited friends to sell raffle tickets, convinced Out-of-Door Academy to donate a portion of the sales at the football stadium’s concession stand and connected with his rivals at Saint Stephen’s, who agreed to join in on the fundraising campaign. Out-of-Door student volunteers ended up selling $5,395 in raffle tickets and another $500 was generated through concession sales, creating a total impact of nearly $6,000 in one Friday night. The money was donated to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund. Congratulations, Dylan!

Pictured: Children First CEO Philip Tavill (left) with Dylan Walker. Photo by Daniel Wagner or Wagner Visuals.