A six-year-old Cochrane boy is showing the town just how powerful kindness—and pop can tabs—can be.
Keaton, in Heartland, has started his own pop can tab collection campaign with the goal of raising money for wheelchairs. What began as a simple question at his grandparents’ house turned into a full-blown mission.
“He saw a bowl of tabs at his grandparents’ place and asked what they were for,” says his mom, Brooke. “They told him a friend was collecting them for a kid who needed a wheelchair. Keaton just ran with it from there.”
The cause is personal. Keaton’s cousin has cerebral palsy and has used a wheelchair his whole life, and his grandmother also uses one due to dementia.
“He’s been around wheelchairs, so when he learned the tabs could help someone, he was all in,” Brooke explains. “He got the whole family involved—his aunts, uncles, even friends at school and daycare started handing him tabs.”
But Keaton didn’t stop there. He had a bigger idea: a mailbox in their front yard where people could drop off tabs, which Keaton built and painted it himself.
“We made a community post to let people know what it was for,” Brooke says. “Right away, people started commenting how sweet it was and that they wanted to help.”
Keaton hopes to raise up to $20,000 worth of tabs. The plan is to recycle the aluminum for cash and donate the funds to a cause Keaton picks himself.
“He would fill our entire house with pop can tabs if he could,” laughs Brooke. “He’s just always been that kind of kid—every Christmas he goes through his toys to donate them. He’s got a big heart.”
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As the Heartland community gets ready for this weekend’s festivities at family Fun Fest at Appaloosa Park, Brooke hopes people will think to bring a few tabs along.
“Every little bit helps,” she says. “Keaton’s already making a big difference.”