Keokuk Cares

06/11/2026

Give our friends at P6 a visit this weekend!

Will be a great time- come join us THIS Fri and Saturday @ 1873 345th Ave, Wever
Questions? Call 319-528-6318

06/09/2026

The Keokuk Walldogs are a great part of Keokuk. Join them at one of their next paint parties. They really care.

We have a lot of opportunities for you to be part of Keokuk history this week. We will be painting at Wells Carey School, Wednesday and Friday, 12-4:30. Enter through the back door. There‘s plenty of room to spread out at the location, so we can have lots of painters working at the same time. We have 8 panels ready to paint. We will also be painting at The Keokuk Art Center again, below the Keokuk Public Library on Thursday morning, 9-11:30. Come when you can. Leave when you must. Bring a friend or make one while painting with the Walldogs. Please share!

06/08/2026

We're only 100 followers away from 2,000.

If Keokuk Cares has encouraged you, helped someone you know, or if you believe in what we're doing, would you help us get there?

Share our page.
Invite your friends.
Help us reach 2,000.

No Charge. No Judgment.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

06/08/2026

If you preordered Keokuk Cares gear, your order is ready!

Pickup begins tomorrow after 10:00 AM at The Cardboard Box in Keokuk.

If you missed this preorder, don’t worry. We’ll be opening another gear order this fall.

Thank you for supporting Keokuk Cares!

06/06/2026

Keokuk Community Watch

Many of you know Keokuk Cares exists because we believe communities are strongest when people look out for one another.

That same mindset is behind Keokuk Community Watch.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Keokuk Police Department are doing a great job. I keep seeing post after post of them working hard and cleaning up the streets. This group is meant to support that work, not replace it.

Our hope is that it stays quiet because not much is happening, but if something is, I hope this can be a place where people help keep our community safe by calling 911 in emergencies, reporting suspicious activity, sharing information, and speaking up when something doesn't seem right.

If you see something, say something. First to law enforcement when appropriate, then to the community so others can stay informed and aware.

We also know not every situation is solved by prosecution. Some people need help, resources, support, and accountability. If that is you, reach out. We may not have every answer, but we can help point you in the right direction.

We cannot settle for “that’s just how things are.”

Keokuk Cares and Keokuk Community Watch are separate groups with different purposes, but they share the same belief:

A better community starts when good people pay attention, speak up, and take action.

See Something • Say Something.

06/05/2026

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Keokuk Paint-A-Thon.

What a week.

Two homes. Three days. A lot of heat. A lot of paint. A lot of scraping, hauling, landscaping, and figuring things out as we went.

But honestly, the best part was watching people come together. Some of these volunteers had never met each other before this week, but you would not have known it. People jumped in wherever they were needed. They painted, cleaned up, carried supplies, made runs for materials, encouraged one another, and helped homeowners they may have never met before.

That is what community is supposed to look like.

Keokuk Cares was thankful to be part of this year’s Keokuk PAINT-A-THON 2026, and there are a lot of people who deserve to be thanked.

First, thank you to the people and organizations who helped make this event happen behind the scenes. Thank you to Tim Gobble with the Fort Madison Beautification Foundation for sharing his Paint-A-Thon experience and helping guide us through the process. Having someone who has done this before made a big difference.

Thank you to Connie Long with the Keokuk Iowa Area Chamber of Commerce for being part of those early conversations, helping get the ball rolling, and helping make sure we had what we needed between both homes.

Thank you to Community Action of Southeast Iowa for helping with the application and homeowner selection process. Applications were open to seniors, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and income-qualified homeowners. Homes were then selected based on greatest need, home condition, and the cost and scope of the work.

Thank you to the volunteer teams who showed up ready to work. We are grateful for the support from AIM Credit Union, First Mid Bank & Trust, Allied Blending, Connection Bank, Golden Oak Society, Tillman Taxes, the Fort Madison Chamber, the City of Keokuk, Keokuk Community School District, Keokuk EFree Church, and everyone else who gave their time to serve.

A special thank you to Allied Blending. They not only supported the project financially, but also sent volunteers every day until the work was done.

We also want to give a special thank you to Dan Tillman with Calvary Four Square Church for tackling many of the repairs that needed to be completed before paint could go on, Flint Bend Construction for picking up where he left off, and Blue Line Power Washing for giving us a clean start.

Thank you to Sherwin-Williams for the paint donation, the City of Keokuk for sending volunteers and covering debris disposal fees, and Keokuk Homestore, Farm and Home Supply - Keokuk, and Ace Hardware - Keokuk for helping us solve countless last-minute needs throughout the week.

Finally, thank you to the sponsors and community partners whose financial support helped make this year’s Paint-A-Thon possible. Thank you to AIM Credit Union, ImOn Communications, Amsted Rail, Climax Molybdenum, Jess Sutcliffe State Farm, First Mid Bank & Trust, Allied Blending, Pilot Grove Savings Bank, Connection Bank, Ten Acre Treehouse, Flint Bend Construction, and the City of Keokuk.

HUGE thank you to the Keokuk Area Community Foundation for rewarding Keokuk Cares with the Hellman IMPACT grant. Almost every piece of equipment we purchased was put to use this week.

Facebook won't let us tag everyone, so all sponsor tags will be in the comments!

This project was a great reminder of what can happen when businesses, churches, organizations, local government, and volunteers come together around a common goal.

We know there are more homes that could use this kind of help. We would love to take on more next year, but that will depend on volunteer support.

So we’ll ask it now:

Who would be interested in helping with the 2027 Keokuk Paint-A-Thon?

06/04/2026

A little over a year ago, I reached out to Savanna Collier with the Fort Madison Chamber to see if it would be possible to bring Paint-A-Thon to Keokuk.

Savanna connected me with Tim Gobble from Lee County Economic Development Group and the Fort Madison Beautification Foundation. Tim shared that conversations were already underway with Community Action of Southeast Iowa and welcomed us to be part of the effort.

We then met with Connie Long at the Keokuk Iowa Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Keokuk, Inc. to get the ball rolling in town.

Tim and Connie have been the MVPs of Keokuk PAINT-A-THON 2026.

They worked behind the scenes connecting sponsors, coordinating supplies, organizing details, and helping select homes from the applications we received. Their leadership and countless hours of work made this year’s project possible.

Over the past few days, we were able to paint two homes in Keokuk thanks to the support of many organizations, volunteers, and community partners. I’ll be recognizing more of those individuals tomorrow, but today I wanted to shine a spotlight on Tim and Connie.

Serving our community is always rewarding, but it has been even more meaningful to work alongside people who care deeply about Lee County and put in the effort to make things happen.

Thank you, Tim and Connie, for everything you do, both in front of and behind the scenes. Your dedication, leadership, and heart for this community make Lee County a better place.

06/03/2026

Update on Chris Steele:

Chris’s surgery went very well, and we’re thankful for that answer to prayer. The nurses had him up and walking yesterday, and he was able to give me a call.

He still has a long road of recovery ahead, so please continue to keep Chris and his family in your prayers. If you’d like to support him during this season, your encouragement, prayers, and support are greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed, and shown support already.

Chris Steele has always shown up for others. Now it’s our turn to show up f… Calvin Stevens needs your support for Show Up for Chris: Heart Surgery Recovery.

06/02/2026

Do your part.

Sometimes that means voting. Sometimes that means volunteering. Sometimes it means sharing the good things happening around town, encouraging someone who is trying, or simply choosing to build up the place we call home.

Not everyone can take off work, paint a house, or do physical labor. But everybody can do something.

Over the past few days with Keokuk PAINT-A-THON 2026, I’ve been surrounded by people who care about Keokuk. People giving their time, energy, and effort because they want to see good things happen here.

And it’s not just Paint-A-Thon.

Commercial Contracting Services is bringing the mall back to life. Golden Oaks Properties have been taking old buildings and turning them into beautiful apartments. Keokuk Iowa - Rand Park Pavilion has been bringing in great music and giving people a place to gather. Keokuk Walldogs have been covering our town in amazing mural and art pieces.

There is a lot of good happening in Keokuk. I really believe Keokuk is turning a corner in the right direction.

It’s easy to point out what’s wrong. But Keokuk also needs people willing to point out what’s good.

So if you’re reading this, drop something in the comments that you see going right in Keokuk.

Let’s do our part to build up the community we call home.