NEWS
B Y A N N A V. S M I T H
NEVER
A KINDNESS
TOO SMALL
Keegan Keppner brings food and
attention to Eugene homeless
K
eegan Keppner sits in a green plastic lawn chair
with “Whoville” scrawled on it in Sharpie, the O
written as a peace sign and surrounded by hearts
and asterisks as if it was decorated by an adoring
fan. Keegan’s knees are jammed up in his black
sweatshirt and he shifts around to evade the chilliness of the
spring evening. Cars roar past the temporary encampment
on 8th and Mill.
Aside from his fidgeting, very little about his attitude or
comments reveals Keegan as the 10-year-old child that he
is. Keegan, who has terminal brain cancer, took up the issue
of homelessness in Eugene in December, and since then has
been supporting the unhoused through supplies and
advocacy.
The “Whos” around him talk about where they’ll set up
camp next. A cluster of tents and chairs is all that is left of
the homeless community named Whoville that lasted for
months near the University of Oregon campus. Whoville
was closed by the city in April, and the Whos have been
searching for a new permanent location, since the city did
not offer a place for the Whos to relocate to.
Some in the camp get aggravated at the discussion and
leave; others stay and vent their opinion. And when Keegan
pipes up, they listen.
“If it wasn’t a school night, I’d stay out here tonight,”
Keegan declares to the group. They nod and murmur
knowingly. The number of times that Keegan has stood by
them, individually and as a group, has made him true to his
word in their book. But, as Keegan’s father Steve Magray
points out, for Keegan there is homework to be done.
“The thing about that is when you guys get home, the
homework will still be there,” one of the Whos says. “We
may not be!” They all give a tense laugh. It was at the
original Whoville encampment on Franklin that Keegan
first brought the Whos food (chili, one of his personal
favorites) because, while watching TV at his home in
Junction City, he saw a homeless man in a wheelchair in
Whoville crying. After seeing the encampment for himself
and asking his parents why they were there, he decided he
wanted to help. His father was, at one point in his life,
homeless.
Since then he’s not only helped, he’s taken up the cause.
Keegan started an online fundraiser and brought the Whos
chili, sandwiches, pizza and snacks to keep them going.
During one trip to the camp, he handed out care packages
Like other fourth graders at Laurel Elementary, Keegan
with first-aid kits and “Click, click… BOOM! You’re
plays video games, has his troupe of friends over for
infected by Keegan’s kindness” handwritten on each bag.
pizza nights and wants to travel when he’s older
In an attempt to publicize the issue and help people
(specifically to New York City, because it’s
understand the Whos’ day-to-day struggles, he’s
huge, and Mexico, because he’s half
talked with Congressman Peter DeFazio about the
Mexican). He’s been trying to recruit some
homelessness issue and walked from Whoville to
friends on the sly to come help with the
Salem with his dad and others to talk to Gov.
Whos, with their parents’ permission.
John Kitzhaber. Although Keegan wasn’t able to
Eventually, he says, they may try to do a
walk the entirety of the 66-mile journey, he
small food drive to help the Whos.
walked the first 15 and the last 10 into the
In general, it’s Keegan who fuels the
capital. His many exploits are documented on his
actions, and his parents who give him
“Keegan’s Kindness” Facebook page.
the go-ahead and support. “Sometimes
More recently, Keegan challenged Eugene
it’s me and sometimes it’s me and
City Manager John Ruiz to spend a
dad. I speak of little ideas and
night on the streets with him to see
then dad thinks about it for a
what it feels like. Ruiz did not
little bit and says a yes or a no
take up the challenge, but
to it,” Keegan explains.
Keegan kept his word and spent
Steve Magray says
the weekend on the streets
they’ve gotten some
with his dad and the Whos.
backlash from people
These events have gar-
online via comment
nered local and national
sections and Facebook,
news attention from Ore-
saying the family is a PR
gon to New York, not
media scam or that they
only because Keegan is
shouldn’t let Keegan
young, but also because
spend so much time on
of his terminal cancer.
the issue, such as when
Kim Magray, Keegan’s
he took time off of
mother,
describes
school with his teacher’s
Keegan’s condition as
blessing for the walk to
“the worst but the best,”
Salem.
because, while it is termi-
“It’s hard for a parent
nal, it is an extremely slow-
to tell a kid no with such
growing tumor, but also more
high ambitions,” Steve
difficult to treat than the other,
Magray says. “He’s got to learn
faster-growing type of tumor.
to have a voice. He has compas-
Keegan was first diagnosed when
sion for the world around him.
he was 22 months old, and went
What kind of father would I be to
through chemotherapy up until he
not support him in this?”
was 6. Kim Magray would explain
For the time being, Keegan
the tiresome MRIs by telling him he
isn’t sure what he’ll do next,
had an “owie” in his brain that they
though he says if he had the money
needed to look at. “It’s shaped like a
he’d get all the Whos apartments,
high-five!” Keegan says.
just so they could have some respite
Keegan hasn’t needed any
from exposure to the weather. In the
treatments for four years and has
meantime, he hopes to keep bringing
regained much of his sense of taste
attention to the issue. “[People]
lost during chemotherapy. For years
mostly aren’t going out and seeing
Keegan would only eat hot dogs and
what it’s like. They make their
chicken nuggets because it was all he
opinions and they don’t even go and
could taste. He happily reports that he
see what it’s like,” Keegan says. “There’s still
now loves chili and pizza, his food of
a lot to do.”
choice for the Whos.
Whoville is still searching for a home. On
Although the news coverage of
Saturday, June 7, from 11 am to 6 pm a Music in
Keegan’s activism has put a large
the Meadow event will take place at 22nd and
emphasis on his cancer, his illness isn’t
Madison to raise money for Nightingale Health
what drives his work with the Whos, nor
Sanctuary featuring John Shipe, The Sugar Beets,
is it a major everyday issue. “He knows
Halie and the Moon and the students and friends
he has cancer, and he’s open to talk to
of Scotty Perey. For more info, search
people about it,” Kim Magray says.
Nightingale Health Sanctuary on
“But he acts like a normal kid and
Facebook. ■
wants to be treated like a
normal kid.”
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EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • MAY 29, 2013
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