Oxford Artist’s House Burned – Lost EVERYTHING Except His Life (UPDATED)

OXFORD, MISS. (TLV – 12.12.2013) –  Last night around 3 am, the house of Oxford artist Keelan Stokes burned down.

Neighbors were arrested earlier in the night for a domestic dispute, and later were found to be the cause of the fire.

Since the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive apartments were adjoined, they all caught fire; the house is owned by Rogers & Ott. 

Though Keelan is unsure whether or not they will place him in another house, he has taken refuge with friends The Goodwillers who have taken him in and given him a room for the time being. He is currently employed at the Ford Center as part of the illustrious backstage crew.

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He lost EVERYTHING in the fire – so everything is needed.

The following types of donations would help Keelan:

* Monetary donations

* Toiletry items

* Size 10.5 shoes

* Medium-large shirts

* 36/30 pants

 *FOOD – our suggestion is to go by and grab a frozen dinner or casserole from a local eatery, and drop it off.

* Art supplies – Keelan is a great artist and his art is his way of communicating with the world (and making money)

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Donations can be sent to or dropped off at 208 Woodlawn Dr. – Oxford, MS 38655 (at the Goodwillers’ house).

If you’d like to drop your donation off on The Square, contact Madeline Murphree at 662.816.9383 or Jessica Ham at 601.572.5915.

UPDATE 12/13/2013 at 8 pm:

Friends of Keelan have set up a crowd-funding account at GoFundMe.com to take monetary donations for those who can’t attend the fundraiser (below), or find it a more convenient (and anonymous) way to express the care in their hearts.

Please visit the page and donate if you can: Help Keelan Stokes Relief Fund –  http://www.gofundme.com/5qgzcc

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also:

“The Keelan, We Love You” Fundraiser will be held on Thursday, December 19 at Old Venice Pizza Co. in Oxford and will start around 9:30 pm. You can view the event on Facebook here.

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and:

Long-time friend Ronny Cresswell, from Greenwood, Mississippi (where Keelan and I are from) wants to help, too.

At sawwheel.bandcamp.com/ you will find every track by Ronny’s band Saw Wheel he was able to upload after hearing about Keelan’s misfortune. The tracks are free for download, but he says that if you make a donation between now and the New Year he’ll pass the money along to Keelan. We promise this is a legit way to support Keelan – he and Ronny “go way back” and the money will make it to Keelan. Ronny is a former member of Mississippi punk bands Fake and One Reason, and a heck of a vocalist (and father).

The response from folks in Lafayette County and beyond has so far been astounding.

Keelan is one of the kindest people we’ve ever known, and if anyone deserves a “hand up” after life has brought him down, it’s this amazing artist. 

Please think about how easy it would be for any of us to lose our possessions in a fire on any given day – and then imagine it being a few weeks before Christmas. It’s the season for giving – and THIS is a good cause. Thank y’all so much.