Young fan’s kindness at C’s game leaves big impression
By Jay TurnerIt’s every young sports fan’s dream to catch a souvenir at a ball game, but after 7-year-old Celtics superfan Noah Chase did just that at the TD Garden last month — snagging one of the t-shirts that the team throws into the stands during timeouts — he found that the bigger thrill was in giving it away.
Keegan Hall (left) with new friend Noah Chase
Turning to the man seated next to him, who was attending his first-ever Celtics game, Noah insisted that he keep the shirt instead, and the man, after “begging” him to reconsider, finally relented and accepted his gift.
The grateful recipient, it turns out, was Seattle area artist Keegan Hall, a rising star in the art world who specializes in hyper-realistic pencil drawings of sports personalities. Hall, who has been featured on the Today Show and has even drawn a portrait for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, was so touched by Noah’s gesture that he shared the story with his 11,000-plus Instagram followers along with a photo of him and his new friend.
“This is Noah. He’s a pretty special kid. You’ll soon know why,” Hall wrote next to the photo, which generated hundreds of likes.
Hall recounted how the young boy “beamed with happiness” when the shirt landed in his lap, only to turn around minutes later and offer it to a “complete stranger” several times his age.
“As the game went on, I couldn’t get this gesture out of my mind,” Hall continued. “Why give the shirt to me? … I had many possible explanations, but in the end, the answer was simple: he cared. He wanted to share his team with me and make my first game memorable. The fact that he has this level of empathy is incredible.”
He said the kindness displayed by Noah, who is the grandson of longtime Canton residents Dick and Dawn Flanagan, left him feeling hopeful and inspired.
“Noah’s gesture is exemplary of all that is good in people,” said Hall, who has touched countless lives himself through charity art collaborations with Seattle stars such as Richard Sherman and Macklemore. “The act of giving, and the reciprocal feeling of appreciation is one of the most rewarding exchanges in humanity.
“It’s the personification of love, and the foundation of leading a happy, fulfilling life. It’s quite literally For Life. And to think, a second grader whom I had never met delivered this message … he’s a special kid, indeed.”
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=35137
Posted by Jay Turner
on Dec 30 2016. Filed under Sports.
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