KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Haley Nunez, a mother in Knoxville, is continuing to grieve after the loss of her baby girl, Honesti.
The nearly 2-month-old infant died earlier in September after an accident at home, but Nunez said her daughter had a purpose. Her purpose was to bring the community together in East Knoxville.
"We figured if we could do something positive and bring the community together and possibly bring down the violence here, then why not," Nunez said.
Nunez said the community came together during the time of her loss, remembering Honesti with a candlelight vigil.
"She was just a loving, sweet, happy baby. She never had a dull moment," Nunez said. "She was never mad. She wasn't even a fussy baby. This is just to honor her."
Nunez put together a block party in her neighborhood at Walter P. Taylor Homes as a way to thank her neighbors for their support.
"[Honesti's] purpose was to bring peace, love and hope to everybody around here and bring them together," Nunez said.
Nunez said she hopes to see more positive news come from her neighborhood.
"Every time you hear anything about it, it's always a killing or a shooting or a fight," Nunez said.
While Honesti's time may have been short here, her mother said her impact will last a lifetime.
"I feel like she changed a lot," Nunez said. "Just being who she was and the love we gave everybody and that she would give them. It just brought everybody together."
Nunez said she wants to have more community events like Saturday's block party. She said she believes this can help bring down any violence coming from her neighborhood.