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of the nearby nursing homes and patients at the local
hospital. We insist that he have someone with him
when he visits another facility in the county, in which
some of the residents have severe mental handicaps.
The family fears that Keaton will be harmed or be
accused of some wrong actions. He is not always aware
of the motives or the intent of others. Keaton takes
treats (of their choice) to several of these patients;
they look forward to his visits.
At times he will practice with the Chancel choir, and
with the praise band at our church. He has sung with
the choir on some Sunday mornings. When he was
unable to drive due to repairs on his vehicle, members
asked Keaton when he was planning to return, as
they missed him. They shared with me that he prays
a meaningful prayer for the choir before rehearsal.
One reason he does not always attend the choir
practice is that several of his favorite sports such as
basketball, or later in the season baseball, tend to have
games on the same nights as choir practice. He does
choose these games over choir practice. This is not
an unusual choice for a young man, especially since
he does not consider himself a permanent member of
the choir.
He is proud of his blog website and his twitter
account. One can read Pulaski County’s football and
basketball articles on the blog. The twitter account
gives the scores from games played in the New River
and in the Roanoke Valleys.
After his graduation from college, Keaton had been
asked to speak to psychology classes and to groups
connected with the New River Community College.