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The death of Dylan Taylor, a well-known youth athletics coach in Menlo Park and Atherton, inspired a local family to start a memorial fund in his name. The Fishback family, friends to the Taylors, is collaborating with the Riekes Center in Menlo Park to start a fund that will support sports, mentorship and art for local youth.
Over $12,000 have been raised since his funeral, according to Beth Fishback.
Taylor died on May 7 after a fatal collision with a GreenWaste truck on Middlefield Road while riding a bicycle. He worked as a paraeducator for the Menlo Park City and Las Lomitas school districts and coached local youth in flag football, track and field, and basketball. Taylor also worked as the freshman football coach for Menlo-Atherton High School.
“We decided that Riekes would be a good place to set up a fund for him to be remembered because his joy and his passions were coaching kids’ sports,” said Fishback.
As a former student at Summit Prep, Taylor used to go to the Riekes Center for its sports programs. He continued to be involved at the center until as recently as a year ago, said Caroline McNally, interim executive director and board chair of the Riekes Center.
“The alignment with what the Riekes Center stands for and its role in the community aligned very well with the kind of person Dylan was, so it just seemed to be a natural fit (to start the fund),” McNally added.
The Riekes Center is a space that welcomes anyone to pursue their interests in athletics, fitness, art, music and community service. With Taylor’s legacy among the young athletes of Menlo Park and Atherton, donations made to the fund will support young people who may not have the financial means to participate in sports programs at the Riekes Center.
According to McNally, 33% of people at Riekes are part of its scholarship program.
No one is ever turned away at the Riekes Center, she said. Scholarships and collected donations are able to support the diverse community that participates in its activities. The nonprofit organization aims to be an inclusive environment where everyone is seen as equal.
“It’s important for us that anybody can access the Riekes Center and be a part of it,” she said. “I don’t think there are many places like this around.”
The Riekes Center is attended by residents of Woodside, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton, blending communities that are otherwise separated by social bubbles and city limits. McNally calls this “real world diversity.”
“There aren’t many places where you can really interact and just be with a lot of different people. It’s about connection and community here,” she added.
To contribute to the Dylan Taylor Fund at the Riekes Center, visit riekes.org/dylan-taylor-fund.
