Dalan Holton wears several hats in the business world – one of which is publisher of this esteemed magazine. As he’s about to hit the big 50, he decided a year prior that he would celebrate it by committing to train towards a gruelling and icy swim through shark-inhabited waters to raise funds for a cause that was close to his heart - The Daniel Lopes Memorial Scholarship.
To raise funds for the DLMS, Dalan launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a target of R50 000. As of the date of writing this piece, his efforts have raised over R65 000 – exceeding his target and still rising with the opportunity to help more students in need.
As with many charitable causes, the story behind the scholarship is unfortunately tragic. During his own time at King Edward VII School (KES), Dalan forged a lifelong friendship with Antonio Lopes – both on the school swim team and graduating together. Many years later, on December 15th 2018, Antonio’s son, Daniel, tragically passed away at the age of 12 in a freak accident. In his memory, the Daniel Lopes Memorial Scholarship was founded to support students facing financial hardships, ensuring that they could benefit from the rich educational and extracurricular offerings that an institution like KES can offer.
The fund assists promising students by covering 50% of their tuition fees at KES for their entire high school career, offering them the opportunity to thrive in an environment that nurtures academic and personal growth. The scholarship not only offered support financially but also encompasses emotional, social, and academic guidance through the TAG Foundation.
On 14th February this year, the cold Atlantic Ocean sympathised with challenging task ahead of Dalan and offered up rarely seen smooth conditions - ideal for the demanding swim.
The swim started early morning at Robben Island, covering a distance of approximately 7.5 kilometers to finish at Bloubergstrand, though currents can extend this swim by up to an extra kilometer. Motivated by his commitment to the memory of his friend’s son and the students that the foundation supports, Dalan powered through and completed the challenge in an impressive 2 hours 7 minutes and 15 seconds.
The team at Logistics News commends not only Dalan’s achievement on the day, but the hundreds of hours required to train towards this singular moment. He has since committed to swimming the same route next year to continue to raise funds and aims to reach a sub 2 hour time next year.
If you are inspired by Dalan’s efforts or by the story behind the creation of these scholarships, please consider donating to this campaign on BackaBuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/daniel-lopes-memorial-scholarship-5824967004013241637
Alternatively, donate via SnapScan: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/Dalan_Holton
