The Polar Bear Boy
About three years ago, 8-year-old Sean Hutton saw dolphins for the first time at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on a family vacation to Florida; everyone in the Hutton family agrees this was the moment Sean became interested in marine animals. When the Huttons made it home to Guelph, Ontario, “everything was about Winter, the dolphin,” Sean’s dad, Jason, recalls. Sean wanted to learn everything about dolphins, a thirst that quickly turned to wanting to learn everything about the ocean and marine life in general — including whales, plankton, and polar bears.
These days, the polar bear is Sean’s favourite animal. “They look pretty because of their white fur. It helps them blend in with the snow and ice,” Sean says, by way of explanation. Sean knows a lot about polar bears — where they live, what they eat, and all about the threat that climate changes poses to their Arctic home.
Last winter, the Hutton family watched a documentary that detailed how climate change was affecting the polar ice caps. “As far as I remember, polar bears were never mentioned,” Jason says. But, after seeing the show, Sean and his parents talked about some of the causes of climate change and the effect it is having on the species he loves so much.
That night, Sean approached his parents with his idea: a walk-to-school day, which would keep cars off the road and reduce the carbon emissions — and help keep polar bears cool in the Arctic. His walk was an incredible success, raising $910 to support WWF’s work in the Arctic.
Sean’s second annual walk-to-school day is coming up on January 15th, 2014 and he’s again raising money to support WWF projects that impact his favourite animal, the polar bear. And even better, Coca-Cola will generously match every dollar Sean raises*, doubling his donation, as part of the Arctic Home campaign! Support Sean today by contributing to his walk-to-school day, and help Sean and WWF conserve the polar bears’ Arctic home.
Donate to Sean’s walk for polar bears
*Make a donation to WWF’s Arctic efforts and Coca-Cola® will match your donation dollar-for-dollar until March 15, 2014, to a maximum of $1 million USD (Canada and U.S. only).
