Teen flocking neighborhoods for friend

Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 16, 2006

NATCHEZ &8212; Taylor Strahan did his first fundraiser for St. Jude with classmate Daniel Dunaway when the boys were 11.

They collected aluminum can tabs then, but it got a lot more personal in January when Dunaway&8217;s older brother Kyle, a high school senior, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

This time Taylor took matters into his own hands.

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&8220;He told me he wanted to step up and help out,&8221; Taylor&8217;s mother Angie Strahan said.

The end result was pink flamingos.

In eight days Taylor has flocked and de-flocked 10 houses with sets of six flamingos and a sign that reads &8220;You&8217;ve been flocked.&8221;

To rid a yard of the birds owners must donate $25. Those who like to play it safe can throw in another $5 for insurance against future flockings.

Anyone can pay $10 to have someone else&8217;s yard flocked.

&8220;I did it to support Kyle Dunaway,&8221; Taylor said. &8220;Daniel is like one of my best friends.&8221;

Taylor found out the news about Kyle the morning after the Dunaway family did and knew he wanted to do something soon.

His mother researched the Internet for ideas before settling on the flamingos.

They started spreading the word at Taylor&8217;s school, Trinity Episcopal.

Kyle and his mother have spent time at St. Jude Children&8217;s Research Hospital in Memphis lately but are in town this week.

And Daniel&8217;s getting back to his old self, Taylor said.

&8220;He&8217;s smiling. He&8217;s a lot better than he was at first,&8221; Taylor said.

So far, Taylor&8217;s collected over $500, mostly from a few large donations. The money is going directly to the family.

He has two sets of six flamingos that stay in a yard for 24 hours at a time. Anyone interested in flocking someone else&8217;s yard or donating can contact Strahan at 601-442-8109 or at

flockingforkyle@yahoo.com

.

A bank account for Kyle is also set up at B&K bank.