The invitation for the welcome home celebration for Keyshawn Devine, an Aquinnah nine-year-old boy recovering after being hit by a pickup truck two weeks ago, instructed attendees to meet in the football parking lot at the regional high school.
But the crowd of well-wishers was so big on Wednesday afternoon it had to move to a larger parking lot on the other side of campus.
“I didn’t think it was going to be this big,” Heather Devine, Keyshawn’s mother, said. “I knew they were doing this, but this is just absolutely amazing.”
After being transported off-Island on the day of the accident, Keyshawn received treatment for his injuries at Boston’s Children Hospital. As of Wednesday, a gofundme campaign to aid his family had raised over $60,000 — tripling its $20,000 goal.
At his homecoming, friends, family, teachers, neighbors, classmates, co-workers, emergency responders and other community members demonstrated their support and love for the Devine family.
Emergency vehicles from across the Island and trucks from E.C. Cottle, Inc., his father’s employer, flanked both sides of the lot. On Keyshawn’s arrival, the vehicles let loose their horns and sirens, creating an eruption of exuberant joy.
“Keyshawn’s father has worked for my family for 25 years,” Ed Cottle 3rd said. “He’s a valued member of my team, and we think of him as his family.”
Mr. Cottle led a fleet of E.C Cottle trucks, each carrying co-workers ready to assist the Devine family on the road ahead.
Dukes County Sheriff Bob Ogden said the long line of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks intended to “personify [Keyshawn’s] own bravery and his tenacity and his ability to overcome the obstacles that were presented to him.”
Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal members chanted and drummed during the festivities.
— Maria Thibodeau
Mary Boyd, assistant principal of the West Tisbury school, wanted to make sure Keyshawn and his family knew their school community was with them every step of the way. At the celebration, she waved a West Tisbury school flag to emphasize this message.
“Hopefully he can feel the amount of support that the Island has been pushing out towards his family,” Ms. Boyd said. “We are just making sure that they know how much we’ve been thinking of them the last two weeks.”
Keyshawn’s devotion to baseball is a passion shared by many attendees. Teammates, fellow fans and his beloved hometown team, the Sharks, all showed up. At their home game earlier this week, the Sharks hosted a fundraiser for the Devine family, raising $1,400. In addition to these funds, the team presented Keyshawn with a signed bat, a signed picture of former Red Sox player Andrew Benintendi and a variety of Sharks swag, Russ Curran, the team’s general manager, said.
When Keyshawn walked up to the players, they led the crowd in a ballpark chant: “Let’s go Keyshawn, let’s go!”
Liam O’Donnell scrawled a welcome home message for his friend in Sharks purple and wore his Sharks cap to the event.
The community that steps up!
— Maria Thibodeau
“We go to the games together all the time,” Liam said.
Keyshawn’s cousin Lamar Eghill and friend Angus Vincent chose a different angle for their poster.
“This is Fishstick from Fortnite,” Lamar explained, gesturing towards the carefully drawn cartoon. “We picked it because we all play video games together all the time.”
Durwood Vanderhoop and James Moreis Hakenson, both members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe, chanted and drummed during the festivities.
“We wanted Keyshawn to feel welcomed home by the tribal community and for his Island roots to be acknowledged in this way,” Mr. Vanderhoop said.
Ms. Devine said she felt extremely grateful for Island’s support.
“We just wanted to thank everybody in the community for all their love, prayers, support, phone calls, text messages and donations,” she said.
“I’m really proud of Keyshawn. He’s such a strong, brave kid, and he’s been through a lot. He’s a great kid,” she added.
