'She was my everything': Family of 9-year-old killed in Pine Hills keeps her legacy alive by serving community

'she was my everything': family of 9-year-old killed in pine hills keeps her legacy alive by serving community

t’yonna major

The past year, T’Yonna Major’s family has made a point to push through their grief and give back in a way that their daughter would’ve if she could have.

Her mother spoke with WESH 2’s Nancy Alvarez about building a legacy for T’Yonna.

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The child’s family had nine years with her. Now, it’s been one year without her.

For Major’s family, life will never be the same.

“She was my everything, my joy, my pride, everything I did was for her,” Brandi Major, T’Yonna’s mom said.

T’Yonna’s mom Brandi spoke with us three months ago as part of Our Mother’s Village, a group of moms who’ve all lost a child to violence or drugs.

All of them turned their grief into action through community service.

It’s just what Brandi and her family have done.

If you take a look back at the last year through their social platforms, you can see Yaya’s Dream Foundation in action; Yaya was their nickname for T’Yonna.

The logo for the foundation is a tribute to her strength as a star gymnast and a child who always wanted to help her community.

“My daughter felt like everybody should have what she had. You tell her someone was homeless, she don’t understand that,” Major said.

From neighborhood cleanups to food giveaways, the work and the impact is T’Yonna’s legacy.

Even in their grief, her family keeps it alive.

“Everything she loved, I want to go forward and grow. The sky is the limit to what I want to do. That’s what keeps me going — living her dream and everything she wanted to do,” Major said.

Yaya’s Dream Foundation will be back at work next month hosting a neighborhood clean-up at the Christian Service Center.

It’s happening Saturday, March 16 starting at 11 a.m. You can get more details here.

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