What's Going On: Devereux Evening of Hope Gala, Children First Action Fund, Do It Like Dylan

🎙️ WHAT’S GOING ON with Loraine Ballard Morrill

In this week’s episode of What’s Going On, we highlight organizations and individuals making a lasting difference in our communities. First, we’re joined by Leah Yaw, Senior Vice President at Devereux, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit behavioral healthcare organizations. For more than a century, Devereux has supported children, adolescents, and adults living with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive differences—helping them build fulfilling, independent lives. On Saturday, November 8, Devereux Pennsylvania will host its annual Evening of Hope Gala at Vie by Cescaphe in Philadelphia. This year’s “Night in Venice”–themed celebration will feature masquerade masks, live entertainment, music by Philly’s Milan 77, and a special tribute to longtime board member Phil Glick. Proceeds will directly benefit more than 4,000 individuals across Pennsylvania served by Devereux programs.
🌐 Website: www.devereux.org
📸 Social Media: @DevereuxCare on Facebook, Instagram, and X  

Then, as we approach the 2025 elections, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Pennsylvania’s children and families. Decisions made by our state’s courts shape everything from school funding and child welfare to public safety. Kevin Burgess from the Children First Action Fund joins us, along with parents Samia Evans-Bolling, Regina Brown, and Jazmin Banks, to discuss how the justice system impacts kids and families—and why understanding judicial elections is so critical this November.
🌐 Learn more: childrenfirstactionfund.org/judicial-voter-guide  

Finally, we hear from Sydney and Dawn Geller, co-founders of Do It Like Dylan, a nonprofit created in memory of Dylan Geller—a young man remembered for his incredible energy, kindness, and compassion. Through their organization, the Geller family is raising funds for scholarships for aspiring special education teachers, supporting epilepsy safety awareness, and advancing vital research and legislation. On Saturday, November 15, 2025, they’ll host the First Annual Do It Like Dylan 5K Run & Walk at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The event will feature a kids’ dash, basket sweepstakes, music, food, and speakers honoring Dylan’s life—bringing the community together for a day of remembrance, unity, and impact.
🌐 Website: DoItLikeDylan.org
📱 Social Media: Instagram @doitlikedylan | Facebook & LinkedIn: Do It Like Dylan

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to what's going on? A show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Marrel. We'll be speaking with Sidney and
Don Geller, co founders of Do It Like Dylan, an
organization created in memory of Dylan Geller to honor his kindness, compassion,
and legacy and raise awareness about epilepsy research and provide

(00:20):
scholarships for aspiring special education teachers. We'll also be joined
by Children First, which is launching a vital information campaign
ahead of the upcoming judicial elections, races that often fly
under the radar but have a major impact on our families, schools,
and communities. But First, we're joined by Leah Yaw, senior
vice president at Devereaux, one of the nation's leading nonprofit

(00:43):
behavioral healthcare organizations. For more than a century, Devereaux has
been supporting children, adolescents, and adults living with emotional, behavioral,
and cognitive differences, helping them build fulfilling, independent lives well.
On Saturday, November eighth, they are hosting an evening of
Hope and we're going to tell you all about it
and also about the honoree this year proceeds will benefit

(01:04):
more than four thousand individuals across Pennsylvania served by Devaux programs.
So Leah, very nice to see you. And for those
who are not familiar, I did give a little capsule description,
but tell us more about DEVROU, the mission and the
communities you serve here in Philadelphia.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Happy to do that, Lorraine, and thank you so much
for having us with you today. Devereux in Pennsylvania serves
more than four thousand children, adolescents and adults, as you mentioned,
and DEVRO has more than one hundred year history doing
that here in Pennsylvania. We serve two primary populations of individuals.
Our history is one of caring for individuals with autism

(01:41):
and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. That's the work we've
done for more than a century here in Pennsylvania. And
we also serve individuals with mental health issues, often very severe,
often trauma related. And so we do that work in
twelve states around the country. We serve tens of thousands

(02:01):
of individuals a year. That our hearts and our roots
are right here in Philadelphia.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Well, the upcoming evening of Hope Gayla is a beloved
tradition for you guys. What can guess expect from this
year's Venetian Night in Venice theme, Well.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
It's very exciting. It's a bit of a masquerade ball
in Philadelphia. Will be at the Downtown by Chesscafe. We'll
have over four hundred guests with us that night. We
are honoring a longtime friend of Devereux, Phil Glick.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
It's a wonderful friend of Devereux.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Phil has been on our Pennsylvania Advisory Board since.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Nineteen ninety nine.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
So a long time dedicated supporter of the organization.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
So it'll be a great night.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Lots of fun, live band of I think twelve pieces.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
It'll be a great time.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Cocktails or dirves, sit down dinner, live auction, silent auction,
three sixty photo booth, drinks, dancing, celebrating, and most importantly,
honoring the individuals we serve. The evening raises a great
deal of money to help us expand programming, to enrich
our programming, to ensure our programs are safe and high

(03:14):
quality and effective. And that's really the most important part
of the evening is raising money to expand programming and
do great work for individuals across our region.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
What are some of the biggest needs or challenges facing
children and adults with emotional, behavioral or cognitive differences right now,
and how is Devereux helping to address them?

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, that's a great question.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Funding is always a challenge in this community and in
this network of practice all across the country, and of
course times are very challenging in the provider community at
this moment, so fundraisers are so important to all the
providers across our region. Individuals with disabilities often face stigma,

(03:58):
and stigma is on the rise at this time. So
when we come together in communities now and have the
opportunity to really talk about the work of organizations like
Devereux who serve individuals with disabilities, it's a wonderful opportunity
to talk about the extraordinary importance to our communities of

(04:22):
individuals with autism, of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,
and of individuals with mental health diagnosis. These individuals are
part of our communities. They are important to our communities,
They are valuable, they are neighbors, they are our friends,
and they deserve to live lives of dignity and enrichment.

(04:44):
Organizations like Devereux and many others across the Philadelphia region
have been part of the treatment community for as long
as there's been a treatment community. I think many folks
don't know that Philadelphia and our region was a founding
part of the nonprofit funeral health treatment community.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
It wasn't known as has that at the time. But
many of the.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Most historic and storied nonprofits in our country who are
now large treatment community, community practice providers, we're founded right
here in the Philadelphia region. It's something we should all
be very proud of and hopefully folks will come together
and help keep those organizations alive. Federal funding and state
funding sources are becoming so challenged.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, well, certainly there's been a lot of progress made
in the treatment and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities
and mental wellness issues, and Devereux has certainly been at
the forefront for providing resources and support for those individuals.
And if you want to support Devereaux in the work
that you do again, Saturday November eighth, Devereux Pennsylvania will

(05:48):
host its annual Evening of Hope and Gala at v
By Tescafe in Philadelphia and sounds like it's going to
be a fabulous event. If people want more information, about
the event, but also about Devereaux. What are some of
the best ways to get in touch with you?

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Great question. You can reach us at Devereaux dot org.
Of course, dev er Eux dot org.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
That's the best way to.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Learn more about our organization and also about the Evening
of Hope. You can find that at Devereux Pennsylvania dot
org right on the homepage.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
We still have a few tickets left, but.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Not any so please hurry on over and learn about
this great evening. It really will be a wonderful time
and it's right after the Halloween season, so it's a
great time to come out for a masked event in
downtown Philadelphia, and we really do hope that folks will
join us.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
Thank you so much for joining us. Leah Yacht, Senior
Vice president at Devereaux, one of the nation's leading nonprofit
behavioral healthcare organizations. For more than a century, Devereux has
been supporting children, ado lessons in adults living with emotional, behavioral,
and cognitive differences and helping them build fulfilling, independent lives
and again and happening on Saturday, November eighth, an Evening

(07:03):
of Hope gala at v by Jesscafe and what's that
website for more information? One more time?

Speaker 2 (07:08):
That's Devereaux dot org, d e V E R e
u X dot org.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
Great, thank you so much for joining us today.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
Thank you, Lorrae.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
As we approach the twenty twenty five elections, the stakes
couldn't be higher for Pennsylvania's children and families. Decisions made
by our state's court to shape everything from school funding
to child welfare to public safety. Joining us are Kevin Burgess,
who leads outreach and voter education for the Children First
Action Fund, along with parents Samea Evans Bulling, Regina Brown,

(07:46):
and Jasmine Banks, each bringing a unique perspective on how
the justice system impacts kids and families. Together, they're helping
voters understand why judicial elections matter and how to make
informed choices This November, Kevin, why does the Children First
Action Fund believe judicial elections are so critical to the

(08:06):
future of Pennsylvania's children and families?

Speaker 4 (08:09):
As you mentioned, Pennsylvania's courts make decisions every day that
impacts children and families. They are deciding on things about
like if families can access clean water, what sort of
education students receive, They deal with child welfare issues. So
in nearly every aspect of children in families' lives, the

(08:30):
courts play a role. And here in Pennsylvania, we're incredibly
lucky that we get to choose the judges that sit
on our courts. We're one of the few states in
the country where voters elect judges. However, that these elections
often have very low turnout and it can be very
challenging to find information on the candidates. And so you know,

(08:52):
this election season we have endeavored to evaluate and engage
judicial candidates so that we can educate the public and
voters can understand where the judges and candidates stand on
issues that impact children and families.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
All Right, we're going to return to that in just
a minute, but i'd like to talk to Sama. As
a parent passionate about education and fair funding. What connections
do you see between our school systems and the decisions
made in the courts.

Speaker 5 (09:20):
Well, I first realized that as a parents have the power,
and I think that a lot of what happens in
the school district and the courts is it's kind of
like a lapse in between because a lot of people
don't know how our judicial system works here and not
only the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but also the city. So
I'm thankful for our organization like Children's First, that we

(09:42):
are able to have parent advocacy meetings and info sessions
where we have access to learn.

Speaker 6 (09:48):
About how the judicial process works.

Speaker 5 (09:50):
This past school year, I was involved to be on
the Pennsylvania Education Champions and that was a parent cohort
that I did along with people in hair Urisburgh that
are really fighting to make change and let parents' voices
be heard, because if we don't know these things, a
lot of people don't show up.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
You know.

Speaker 5 (10:06):
Statistics show that with outside of the presidential election, in
a mayoral election, a lot of people forget about things
that are important like judges and how these everyday decisions
impact not only our lives, our students' lives. And it
carries over as well as to the juvenile justice system,
school funding and things that our schools and our children
need right now. And we still are waiting for a

(10:29):
budget to be passed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, so
that's something that is carrying over as well, because as
long as we don't have a budget, things aren't able
to be put in place, and it's just really important
that parents are informed and we are allowed to have
a voice that lets us know that we have organizations
again like Children's First that let us know what's happening

(10:49):
and how we can make our voices heard not only
in our local courts, but also our state wide courts,
because again, as Cavin mentioned, Pennsylvania is one of the
few states where we were a commonwealth where we're allowed
to pick our judge where heavily influences you know what
happens in Washington.

Speaker 6 (11:04):
So this is a highly hot election that people need
to be made more aware of.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Regina, you've experienced firsthand how the juvenile justice system impacts families.
What changes would you like to see from the bench
to better serve young people.

Speaker 7 (11:17):
I like to see the young people being able to
stay in their environment, to stay in their neighborhood and
their community, and receive the help and the things that
they need to help them, I guess, rebuild rehability, get
mental health services and things like that.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
Can you tell us a little more about how you
relate to this particular issue.

Speaker 7 (11:36):
I have a child that was navigating the juvenile justice system.
He was like put into placement. Now he's in delt prison.
But I also have another son that actually got into
some trouble and for him the situation was different. He
was offered like first time offenders program where instead of
like punishing him, as long as he stays out of trouble,

(11:59):
he's able to be introduced to things that we would
like have to normally fight for, like mentor programs. He's
in a basketball program, he gets weekly checking their teaching them.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
So you see how different policies can really impact your
children differently. So your first son had one way of
relating to the juvenile justice system, but your second son,
your other son, is able to navigate in a way
that seems to be more supportive and more able to
get him through the system in a positive way. Is
that right?

Speaker 8 (12:31):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (12:32):
Well, Jasmine your experience in family court highlight how parents
and can can sometimes be sidelined. What would a more
compassionate and inclusive court system look like to you?

Speaker 9 (12:43):
Well, thank you for the question, and thank you for
allowing the lived experience to have a voice, and of
course thanks to Children's First for being two champions for children.
So your question in terms of first, let me if
I could surround it, if you will real quickly that
I'm an inside pan so I come from an inside
perspective who's unfortunately had positive and negative experiences within the

(13:07):
family court. Well, a compassionate system would certainly look like
having some knowledge of the lived experience of people, especially
who are raising children with disabilities. For example, I've raised
fifteen children and I adopted five older sons who lived
with very very serious disabilities, So everything from autism and
intellectual disabilities to bipolar schizophrenia and medical issues like in

(13:30):
stage COPD, seies, your disorders, etc. So for those families
like who are very vulnerable, like me and like Regina mentored,
we have children with disabilities, it's different. So you would
hope that people would first get to get to understand us.
It's hard. If you haven't lived in our shoes, you
really may not understand what it's like to really raise
very challenging children who often aren't liked by the way

(13:51):
by the public. So you hope that the judges would
have a relationship with us, begin to know us, because
typically in the family court, in my experience, and I'm
a memoir about this as an inside parent and a
credible messenger and a parent advocate. Now, so I'm writing
a memoir, and I've been gathering information and have a
very long paper trail that I helped to turn into
an actual memoir one day to talk about things, because

(14:13):
right now we're talking a little bit out of context,
but it's very important what you've asked in court. It's
typically a one sided perspective, so and often, unfortunately many
of the workers, I'm not sure why, you know, it's
a whole other issue. We got to talk to psychoanalysts
about that, but many of them do not like parents.
I think they don't understand I'm talking about at risk parents.

Speaker 8 (14:35):
Now.

Speaker 9 (14:35):
It's a difference between typical parents and at risk parents.
I'm an at risk parent. I didn't intend to be one,
but I became an at risk parent, So people who
are very what is an at risk parent and at
risk parent would be a person who is raising children
who have very serious disabilities. They typically are very stigmatized,
like if you have serious mental illness, for example, it's
more stigmatized than if you have autism. But even autism

(14:58):
can be stigmatized, especially for those parents who are raising
children who have severe autism, so they sometimes behavior challenges.
They're picked out of kindergartens, the children that are pushed
out of the schools, so at risk parents are those
not only birth parents, there are grandparents who are raising
those children. Aunts, uncles, cousins, falster and adopted parents are
also raising so they're also at risk.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
I'd like to talk to you, Kevin, and unfortunately we
were running a little bit out of time. But how Kevin,
can Children's First Action Fund help voters make sense of
this these often overlooked elections.

Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yes, thank you, lorrain So. Children First Action Fund recently
published our twenty twenty five judicial voter Guide that is
up on our website Childrenfirstactionfund dot org and in our
voter guide, we evaluated Supreme and Superior Court decisions that
impact children and families. We evaluated those by justice and

(15:53):
judge that are up for retention. So we really encourage
folks to visit the voter guide and see for yourself
how the judges and justices ruled on these issues that
impect children and families at the Commonwealth Court and Court
of common Police Family Court level. We invited all of
the candidates and judges up for attention to sit for

(16:13):
an interview with Children First lawyers, family advocates and Excerpts
from those interviews are posted in the guide, and we
also encourage folks to visit the Community of Seventies voter
guide to learn more about the candidates that maybe we're
not a part of our evaluation.

Speaker 1 (16:34):
Well, that's so important because, as you indicated before, we
don't pay a lot of attention to the judicial elections,
and we often go into the voting booth not knowing
anything about these candidates and sometimes randomly choose the candidate
of choice for a lot of very personal but not
necessarily well informed reasons. So I'd like the three of

(16:55):
you to just give us a final word, final sentence
message to the listeners out there who may not realize
how important these judicial elections are, but why people should
pay attention. Semeel, let's start with you.

Speaker 6 (17:08):
I just always say experience is a good teacher.

Speaker 5 (17:11):
You don't never want to be on the other side
of one of these judges and you don't know anything
about them.

Speaker 6 (17:17):
And it was like, oh, I.

Speaker 5 (17:18):
Wish that I had a judge that you know, we're
willing to give my child a second chance, or we're
willing to give you know, what's a second chance. And
they knew the family history and the family courts if
it was more intimate and personal. So I would just
say again, I want to say thank you to Children's
First for doing the research. You know, so a lot
of us like we said, well, they'll just hand you
a sheet of paper just pulled straight down. But no,

(17:38):
it's very important nowadays to be an informed voter, to
know who your candidate is and what they stand for,
and have questions of your own, just to know that. Again,
parents have the power and again be an informed voter
because that makes all the decision in the world and
it has a huge impact not only for our children,
it also has an impact for our schools, our community,

(18:00):
and the overall judicial system as well, because you would
want to have a judge that is fair and balanced,
and you wouldn't know that if you didn't have the
research and the knowledge about them. So again, parents have
the vower, have the power forgive me and be an
informed voter not only this election season, but all election seasons.
Just know who you're voting for, and know the candidate
and know if they stand on the same issues that

(18:22):
you agree with.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
Regina, what about you?

Speaker 7 (18:25):
Just for the judges that have more compassion to not
just be so quick to punish, to actually teach so
that way the children can learn from the experience and
keep families together.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yeah, that's great, and Jasmine, what's your final word, Well, of.

Speaker 9 (18:41):
Course, as a former foster and adoptive parent of multiple children,
I'd say to the judges is to not to believe
everything they read, unfortunately, and to try their best to
find some kind of way to have a relationship with
especially at rich parents. Realize that a lot of the
children that they're mentioning, they're not mentioning that they have disabilities.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
Well, so, in other words, certainly the judges, but for
the voters, what would you say to them.

Speaker 9 (19:06):
Well, the voters need to know that when you're talking
about the judges, you're also talking about family court and
family quote is where parents lose custody of their children,
and typically they lose permanent custody. That's how they end
up with families like me. And even though I feel
I'm a great parent, but it's the worst place for
children to be in foster current adoption. So let's do
our best to offer resources and supports for birth parents

(19:29):
and even legal parents to keep them at home.

Speaker 1 (19:30):
Well, God bless you for taking in these children because
we know how important it is to have a safe
and loving environment, and we appreciate the fact that you've
taken in so many kids. And Kevin, what is the website?

Speaker 3 (19:42):
For more information?

Speaker 4 (19:43):
Please visit Children First Actionfund dot org. There you will
find a link to our voter guide, our twenty twenty
five election center, and make sure to vote Honor before
November fourth.

Speaker 1 (19:53):
Absolutely, thank you so much, Kevin Burgess, who leads the
outreach and voter education for Children First Action Fund and
parent Samea Evans Bowling, Regina Brown, and Jasmine Banks, each
bringing a unique perspective on how the justice system impacts
kids and families. And be sure to check out that
voter guide and be sure to vote. Thank you. Grief

(20:18):
can often lead to extraordinary acts of love and purpose.
That's exactly what happened when the Geller family transformed their
heartbreak into hope through Do It Like Dylan, an organization
founded in memory of Dylan Geller, whose light, kindness and
compassion continue to inspire others. Joining us are Sydney and
Don Geller, co founders of Do It Like Dylan, to

(20:38):
share how they're turning laws into lasting impact through scholarship
advocacy and community action. Sydney and Don, can you start
by sharing a little bit about Dylan? Who was he
and what inspired do it?

Speaker 9 (20:50):
Like?

Speaker 1 (20:50):
Dylan?

Speaker 10 (20:51):
Dylan is my son. He's no longer living here with us.
He's in heaven. We lost him only seventh after he
experienced a seizure while riding a jet ski at the
Jersey Shore. Dylan was, as you alluded to, the light

(21:13):
not only in our family but in our community. He
volunteered out of the kindness of his heart to help
the special needs children in his high school, spent all
of his lunch hours being their mentor and their friend.
His dream was to create gym classes for children like

(21:34):
he worked with, so that they could enjoy sports the way.

Speaker 3 (21:37):
That he did.

Speaker 10 (21:38):
And we found out in the day that Dylan died
that he was wearing the wrong kind of life jacket
for people who potentially could experience medical emergencies. And so
when this new Jersey State Police told us about the
life jackets, we jumped immediately into action with our state senators,

(22:00):
Senator Beach and his team, and the first step of
creating Dylan's Law is in the works. Thanks to Senator
Beach and his team, so that other families don't experience
this horrific feeling. I said, you know that it's a
horrific feeling when there's nothing in the English language that

(22:20):
describes a parent who has lost a child. We're not orphans,
we're not widows. There's no word to even describe who
we are now. And do it like Dylan came out
of what Dylan would have done, and hence.

Speaker 3 (22:36):
The name do it like Dylan.

Speaker 10 (22:38):
Dylan would have told us to wipe our tears away
and get to action and turn this tragedy into action.
And that's what Sydney and Chase and Austin and my
husband Jeff are doing in Dylan's memory, even though Dylan's
no longer here in this physical presence is not here.

(23:01):
We can't let somebody who was that bright of a
light disappear. And so our goal is for when we're gone,
that people will still do it like Dylan and be
kind to strangers, and be kind to the underdog, and
be kind to people with special needs out of the kindness.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
Of their heart.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
I love that. It's wonderful when you see, especially young
people have such empathy and compassion, and it sounds like
Dylan had those things very much in his heart, and
they do say that someone ever dies as long as
they're in your heart and in their mind, and their
memory lives on and their name lives on. Now, Sidney,
tell us more about the mission of Do It Like Dylan.

(23:42):
What are some of the causes that you're supporting through
this work.

Speaker 8 (23:46):
Absolutely, there are three causes we want to support. One
is raising funds for scholarships for other students who are
pursuing degrees in special education like Dylan, So whether that's
in our local area or beyond. And we want to
see students wanting to become special education teachers like he did.
I think there's so much power in that. So we

(24:07):
want to be able to support those who want to
go to school and maybe have some barriers to not
be able to do so we want to help.

Speaker 6 (24:13):
So that's one.

Speaker 8 (24:14):
Another is around epilepsy awareness and advocacy. Like our mom
said that, it's around just in general safety around epilepsy,
and we want kids and people who have epilepsy to
continue living their lives to the fullest like Dylan did.
Dylan drove, Dylan had friends, Dylan played sports, He did

(24:35):
all of the things he wanted to do, but of
course when you have epilepsy, there is another safety measure
that needs to be taken into account to ensure that
you can do all of those quote unquote normal activities
but safely, and we want to be able to advocate
for that. And one of the areas that we had
no idea about was around life jackets and that safety.
We have jet skis and our family rode them often.

(24:58):
It wasn't uncommon that he was on one. And when
you get your jet ski you have to take a
specific course and get your license in jet skiing. I'm
sure there's a better name for it, but you have
to get your license in jet skiing, and my family
all took the course.

Speaker 6 (25:13):
And nowhere in there do they.

Speaker 8 (25:14):
Talk about the different levels of life jackets. There are
actually five. Dylan was in level three, which is what
most people wear, which keeps you buoyant but doesn't protect
you depending on how you fall in whereas a level one,
which is what we want to advocate for around the
education and awareness that there are these different levels.

Speaker 3 (25:34):
The level one keeps you.

Speaker 8 (25:35):
Buoyant and flips you upright. So we don't know if
it would have saved him, but it certainly would have
given him a fighting chance while the ambulances were coming
to rescue him. So we want to advocate that there
needs to be more education that these life jackets exist.
And it goes as far as we want to educate
people on families who suffer from epilepsy, but also doctors.
Our family was never told about that, and that's not

(25:58):
to the fault of the doctors. But if we were
told that, my family would have chosen different options for Dylan.
So we want to advocate and create more education for
these doctors around the different levels. And then when you
go to buy a boat or a jet ski, whatever
water sport you are enjoying that, you understand the differences
and you can make that decision, but you should be

(26:19):
aware that there are different levels. So we want to
try to help prevent any other family from experiencing that.
So the mission is twofold, one supporting children and kids
who want to go into special ed and the other
is preventing this from ever happening again.

Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, you just raised my awareness. I didn't even realize
there are different levels of life jackets, and I can
totally understand how that level one would be something that
someone who may lose consciousness would want to have and
thank you for that. Thank you for raising my awareness. Now,
don your family is hosting the first annual Do It
Like Dylan five k Run and Walk on Saturday, November fifteenth.

(26:57):
Tell us all the details.

Speaker 6 (27:00):
We're excited.

Speaker 10 (27:00):
November fifteenth would have been Dylan's twenty first birthday, and
so we are getting together with So far, we're up
to two hundred and forty three people who.

Speaker 6 (27:09):
Have signed up to walk and or run, and.

Speaker 10 (27:12):
Of course it is going to be a competitive run, because.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
Dylan would not want it any other way.

Speaker 10 (27:16):
So for the people who want to compete against each other,
it is there. We will be meeting at nine am
at Cooper River Park for opening ceremonies. We have, of
course Voorhees, the mayor, and all of our townspeople coming
to support us, and so there's going to be different
people speaking, and of course we'll go over the race
course to make sure everybody knows what they're doing, and

(27:39):
the race will kick off at ten am. We'll have
the runners, competitive runners going first and followed by the
people who are just walking in memory of Dylan. We
are really excited to find out that Ainsley's Angels will
be joining us. Ainsley's Angels are competitive runners who push
especial needs family member or child or neighbor. And that's

(28:04):
exactly we had never heard of Ainsley's Angels and we're
just so excited to partner with them and have them
included in our race because that they are exactly what
Dylan wanted to do in his future. He wanted to
include them even in competitive runs. Ainsley's Angels are not
there for just to support us. They are there to win,

(28:24):
and that is what excites us the most, because Dylan,
we'll be looking down from heaven in the best seat,
cheering those kids on the bed the most.

Speaker 8 (28:39):
I can jump in while you're crying, as I'm crying.
But so there will be competitive runners, we also want
people who just want to be outside and enjoy a
five k to come to and then of course walkers
as well. There will be a kid's dash on the
in fields. Is Dylan's love of children.

Speaker 3 (28:58):
I should be included here too.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
Oh my gosh, we're all crying. This is very I
don't know.

Speaker 10 (29:05):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (29:06):
No, it's to lose a child for a parents and
for a sibling and for family members is the worst
possible nightmare. And I think that it is admirable and
inspiring that you've taken what it is, such a tragedy
and such a huge amount of grief and translated into

(29:29):
something that is going to live on and to benefit others. Sidney,
if people would like to sign up for this event,
do It Like Dylan? How do they do that?

Speaker 3 (29:39):
Amazing?

Speaker 8 (29:39):
So you can head to our bio either in Facebook
or Instagram if it's out, do It Like Dylan, and
the registration link is in our bio or on our
website Do It Like Dylan dot org.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
It's the first annual Do It Like Dylan five k
Run and Walk Saturday November fifteenth at Cooper River Park
in Pennsacka, New Jersey. And I want to thank you
both for joining us, thank you for letting us know
about Dylan and who he was and how he impacted
people and how he remains a symbol of empathy and

(30:16):
compassion and passion to help others. And it's wonderful because
it sounds like your whole family has the spirit of
Dylan in you and you're helping to keep his memory
alive and to make it mean something even beyond This
is tragedy that you've all experienced, so we thank you

(30:39):
for that and thank you for spending time with us.
I know it's still very raw and very emotional, but
you're doing something wonderful and I want to thank you
both Sydney and Don Geller, co founders of Do It
Like Dylan, sharing how they're turning this loss into something lasting,
this lasting impact through scholarship, advocacy, and community action through

(31:00):
this foundation. Dood luck, Donnan, thank you so much for
joining us today.

Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thank you for having me us.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app yey Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?

(31:26):
You've been listening to what's going on, and thank you