11-year-old Brunswick resident continues initiative to raise funds to save the tigers

BRUNSWICK — An 11-year-old Brunswick resident is continuing his mission of saving the tigers by holding another fundraiser this summer. Max Miller developed an interest in tigers a few years ago when he was reading a book and found out that the tiger population was low. "He was upset by that," his dad, Douglas Miller, said. "He started the first year by making bookmarks and bracelets and selling them door-to-door around our neighborhood. Then, for the second year, we decided to do an event to help raise money, which was last year." The tiger population has stabilized since Max's initiative started, Miller said. The goal is to help keep the population growing through their efforts. "It started mainly because I don't like the thought of a species going extinct," Max said. "I've always really liked tigers, and I decided to focus on them once I found out about that." "Tigerfest" took place at Max's house last year, but this year's event has expanded to Hopkins Park in Brunswick, Miller said. It will be an all-ages event that is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. "I sell wine for a living, and one of my customers is Lago, so their food truck is coming," he said. "They're going to have discounted pricing plus (a percentage) of proceeds getting donated back. We like to do different raffles, and then we will also have some face painting." The proceeds from the event will go to the World Wildlife Fund to focus on tiger conservation, Miller said. About $2,400 was raised last year, and the goal is to raise even more this year if possible. Those who are interested in making a donation online can contact djmille9@gmail.com or donate through Venmo @Douglas-miller-28. "Maybe we can reach more people and raise more money," Miller said. "Even if we don't raise more money, at least more people are aware." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.