WL student hopes to wow world in African rally

‘No matter what happens, we’ll make it. Even if we have to ride camels’

By Cliff Newell

The West Linn Tidings, Oct 1, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

From left to right, Keegan Warrington, a 2007 WLHS graduate, Tate Koenig and Zach Lowry, students at Oregon State University, plan to rally their customized vehicle from England to Africa to raise global awareness.

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Keegan Warrington and his friends are not taking a low-key approach as they start Citizens of the World.

On Dec. 13, the West Linn resident and his sidekick Tate Koenig will be taking off on the Africa Rally, a road trip of a mere 10,000 miles from London to Cameroon in Africa, to raise awareness for their newly-created charity — COW.

“That’s one-fourth of the globe,” Warrington points out. “We figure it will take about six weeks.”

There have been many great travelers in the past, such as Dr. Livingston, Captain Spaulding and Hope and Crosby. But none of them ever went as far as Warrington and Koenig will in their 1986 Suzuki Samauri.

And it’s all for COW.

“We’re seeking to raise global awareness and responsibility,” Warrington said. “We want to raise a herd of people to do this. When I tell people about the Africa Rally it’s a great way to promote COW.”

A 2007 graduate of West Linn High School, the 20-year-old Warrington became fast friends and Chi Phi fraternity brothers with Koenig and Zach Lowry when he went to Oregon State University. What they shared was a love of adventure, and when the Africa Rally came across their sights they were instantly intrigued.

“At first we looked at the Mongol Rally, which is in Asia,” Koenig said. “But then we heard about the Africa Rally. We thought we would go big or go home.”

In fact, things got even bigger.

Lowry said, “When we started talking about the Africa Rally and how to raise funds for it, we thought, ‘This can be so much bigger.’”

Thus emerged the blossoming of COW, a name Warrington came up with (“We really liked it,” Lowry said.) and partnerships with three other charities that they will raise money for during the rally:

n Send a Cow: A Christian charity that literally sends cows to farmers in Africa.

n Ape Action Africa: Addresses threats faced by gorillas and chimpanzees.

n The Rain Forest Foundation: Supports projects in more than 20 countries that protect tropical rainforests and the people who live in them.

n FHP Reach Your Goals: Dedicated to helping people reach thier full potential through education, proactive work and community involvement.

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