Dan Eldon: Creative Activist

 “I want to do great things in my life. I want the plane to land, so I can start. The only problem is where do I start? What do I do when I get off the plane to do great things?” – Dan Eldon

Dan was a typical hyperactive young guy who craved adventure. He often found himself driving his beloved Land Rover down African back roads searching for that day’s expedition. Throughout his life, he encountered beautiful people and wild animals but also witnessed poverty, famine, and war. His young creative spark grew into a wildfire of passion and desire to make a difference in the world around him.

At age 16, Dan started a “Save a Girl’s Heart” committee to raise money to pay for a Kenyan girl to have heart surgery. A few years later, he organized a safari with friends who raised $17,000 to benefit survivors of the civil war in Mozambique. They were able to provide them with two wells for clean drinking water and blankets for a children’s orphanage.

Many of the tragedies Dan witnessed in Africa were often overlooked in the news. He was 21 when he moved to Mogadishu, a city of refugee camps and starving people immersed in a civil war. As a photojournalist, he fought ignorance and encouraged the world to step in and help.

“It felt like all my years of taking silly pictures and making journals of safaris and trips is beginning to bear fruit,” wrote Dan.

Dan was a creative activist. He used his passion for art and photography to build awareness and ignite positive action. His death was an unimaginable tragedy, but his legacy lives on. Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub, Dan’s mother and sister, founded Creative Visions to support people just like Dan. Learn more about Creative Activism at creativevisions.org!