Max Guinn, just a freshman, makes a lot of little contributions in many areas for the La Jolla Country Day School basketball team: In the Torreys’ first three games, the 6’4″ swingman had three three-pointers, 18 rebounds, 10 assists. seven steals and two blocks, with four turnovers. Breaking it down, that works out to averages of 10 points, six rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game for Coach Ryan Meier’s team. On the other hand, the precocious 15-year-old makes a big contribution off the court in one specific area: He started the nonprofit organization “Kids Eco Club,” designed to provide children with hands-on exposure to wild animals and firsthand knowledge of ways to care for the environment. “Our generation needs to do something,” Guinn says. The nonprofit partners with teachers and likeminded organizations to bring in resources and raise children’s awareness of the environment and sustainability. He began it when he was 10 years old. Animals brought on to the more than 100 campus “Eco Clubs” in San Diego, working through the San Diego City Schools, include ones native to the area, like a great horned owl, tortoises and reptiles. Another fascinating element of the ninth-grader’s life is his being invited to participate with 19 other panelists at the “Compassion and Peace” summit at UC, Irvine this past summer to celebrate the visiting Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. “The weird thing,” Guinn says, smiling, “was a couple of months before, I didn’t even know who he was.” He Googled the famed Tibetan Buddhist’s name and watched videos to get up to speed. When Guinn met the Dalai Lama, “He was super-nice and personable.” The honor connected with part of the young man’s background: His grandmother Setsuko is Japanese, so he claims one-quarter Asian ancestry. “She is Buddhist,” he shares. The heady road to his own nonprofit and meeting a renowned world figure began with a challenge from his mother Susan. In his brashness a handful of years ago, “I wanted to watch R-rated movies and play M-rated video games.” His mother countered with “What are you going to do to make a difference” in the world. That led to the formation of Kids Eco Club. Along the way, Guinn became eco-aware due to a confluence of factors. “I watched the movie ‘The Cove,’ set in Japan,” he relates. “They slaughter all the dolphins.” He also viewed the movie “Food, Inc.” “It’s about how people treat animals and get them on the dinner table,” he reports. “A lot of it has to do with the amount of space the animals have to live in.” Finally, the family has a home in Breckinridge, Colo., and that setting gave him enjoyment and exposure to the beauty of the outdoors. While Susan has “the most to do with Eco Club,” he says, his other mom, Denice, “helps out” and plays a support role, like “when somebody needs a ride.” Both bring a pedigree of sports excellence to Max and his younger brother, Gavin, 10, who also started his own nonprofit. Denice played catcher on Division I Nebraska’s softball team, which won the College World Series. Susan, a 6-footer, played Division I volleyball for the University of New Mexico. Guinn’s nonprofit is also linked with 39 “Kindness” clubs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also oriented toward educating children about the environment. Country Day’s basketball team has started off well in the early season, sweeping its first four games. Guinn is listed as a guard, but he plays the post as well as handles the ball. “I played up age group” in club basketball, he says, “so I was smaller than everyone else.” This gave him experience against boys older than he. But, being taller than boys his own age, he also has experience inside. A multi-sport athlete, he played volleyball on a club team, but that team plays during the same season as school basketball. He plans to go out for the Torrey track and field team next spring, with his eye on running sprints and hurdles, and competing in the long jump and high jump. He’s fast, and he has spring to get off the floor in basketball.
