Person Of The Week: Khari Keaton

Junior Khari Keaton exemplifies the meaning of giving back, he created a club entitled Good Samaritans where he is dedicated to helping others and giving students the chance to be a part of a charitable club.

Keeping the charity and volunteer work close to home, Keaton and Good Samaritans focus on local impact.

“Charity is at the very core of Good Samaritans,” Keaton said. “Although it is only our second year running, we have been able to contribute back to our community by donating bottles of water, toiletries, canned goods and nonperishable foods to Cypress Assistance Ministry to help the less fortunate around Christmas time.”

Keaton prefers to keep himself busy so he can dedicate himself to many different clubs and organizations at school.

“An idle mind is the devil’s workshop, therefore I like to keep myself active by participating in clubs such as Good Samaritans, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Junior Statesmen of America (JSA),” Keaton said. “In addition to those clubs, I am a student athlete. I play football in the fall and run track during the spring.”

Cypress Woods has a variety of clubs that are centered around volunteering and giving back, Good Samaritans is one of the newest additions to this category.

“I wanted to make an alternative to the mainstream organizations,” Keaton said. “To have a small club feel that was more personal was the goal. In addition to this, I realize that as a student, the big clubs have very strict requirements and set high quotas for hours. These quotas are very difficult to meet when you are in a school that is as rigorous as Cypress Woods. That’s why I created a club that had more lenient requirements but still gave many opportunities to give back.”

The impact that Good Samaritans has made on the school and community is significant, this could not have been done without a strong leader who is able to connect with the club members to make a difference in our area.

“I lead through people, not above them, Keaton said. “Also, I do not let failures eat away at my confidence, because minor setbacks only lead to major comebacks.”

Hoping to reach a larger audience, Keaton has big plans for his club in the future.

“In the future Good Samaritans wants to host a 5k fundraiser in order to raise money for Alzheimer’s and Dementia research.”