Anthony Gayla is a ninth grader in White County. He’s experienced a lot of loss in his fourteen years. His father walked out when he was just four months old. His mother died one year ago today. Anthony’s grandmother and guardian, Doreen Reimann, says her daughter was born with a birth defect that made it difficult to walk but oh, how she loved to dance. “When Jeanette was smaller she was always dancing whether it was with a walker or forearm crutches, she always had a tutu on,” Doreen recalls.
Jeannette’s favorite song was “99 Red Balloons” by Nena. Red balloons were a staple at family celebrations…a memory Anthony still clings to.
As the first year anniversary of his mother’s death approached Doreen asked Anthony how he wanted to memorialize the day. “I want to release those 99 red balloons and I want other people to be around to see. I want them to know who she was,” he told his grandmother.
And so, today, at 5 pm 99 red balloons will fly into the overcast Cleveland sky. The Jeannette Reimann Memorial will be held in Cleveland, Georgia’s Freedom Park right behind City Hall and the White County Courthouse on Hwy. 129.
Doreen says she hopes the community will come share in this moment to show her grandson our community cares. “I know there are people out there who still care and want young men and women to succeed in life, even if they’ve been handed a rough beginning.”
Now Habersham will be there. We hope you will be, too.
UPDATE 99 Red Balloons
