GONZALES, La (BRPROUD) — Community members honored the life of two-year-old Nevaeh Allen with a balloon release and candlelight vigil.
Community members have been mourning the death of Neveah Allen for days, from balloons and teddy bears at the apartment complex where she was last seen alive to a balloon release Friday night. People are still coming together to remember the child and pay their respects.
“He did graduate High School from here, he’s worked in his community, his family has worked here, most of Gonzales knows this family,” former classmate Dani Williams said.
Williams said it was important Allen was given a safe space to grieve.
“Especially for black men, they don’t get to grieve as openly as other people do, so we just want to let him know that he can grieve openly and that community is behind him to support and that we’re here if he ever needs anything, ” Williams said.
Strangers brought together by the loss of one little girl, Heather Vance drove in from New Orleans to support the family during this time.
“We’ve been watching it on social media, seeing it on the news, I have Children and this could have happened to any of our children and so its important to support the families that it has happened to. I was just recently affected by the hurricane but to me it’s important to be here,” Vance said.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family cover funeral costs.